Illustrated  by 


BERTR4ND  8UITB& 
BOOK  STORK 

140  PAC-I-FIC  A  VENW& 
LONG  Bb.ACH. 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacb  Arabella 


Arabella 


OF /^  LADY 
ARABELLA 


MOLLY-  ELLIOT-  SEAWELL 

Tluthor  o/  The  For  tunes  Of  Fi  Pi 
Children  Of  Destiny,  eto. 

JJ/ith  Illustrations  by 
Clarence  F.  Underwood 

Decorations    by  Franklin  Booth 


INDIANAPOLIS 

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Tie  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 


2062003 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lacy  AraDella 


'Tis  not  in  my  nature  to  be  cowed  by  any 
woman  whatever.  Therefore,  when  I  found 
myself  in  the  presence  of  my  Lady  Hawkshaw, 
in  her  Chinese  drawing-room,  with  her  great 
black  eyes  glaring  at  me,  and  her  huge  black 
plume  of  feathers  nodding  at  me,  as  she  sat, 
enveloped  in  a  vast  black  velvet  robe  like  a 
pall,  I  said  to  myself,  "  After  all,  she  is  but  a 
woman."  So  I  stared  back  at  her  with  all  the 
coolness  in  the  world  —  and  I  was  a  seeker  after 
favor,  too  —  and  but  fourteen  years  of  age, 
and  had  only  seven  and  sixpence  in  my  pocket. 
The  tall  footman  who  stood  behind  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw's  chair  made  a  grimace  at  me;  and  I  re- 
sponded by  a  fierce  look,  as  if  I  were  about  to 
run  him  through  the  body. 

"  Jeames,"  said  her  ladyship,  "  go  and  make 
1 


my  compliments  to  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw,  and 
say  to  him  that  his  roistering  kept  me  awake 
half  the  night,  and  consequently  I  feel  very  ill 
this  morning ;  and  that  his  great-nephew,  Master 
Richard  Glyn  from  America,  is  come  after  a 
midshipman's  warrant  in  his  Majesty's  navy, — 
and  I  desire  Sir  Peter  to  attend  me  in  my  bvw- 
dwor  immediately." 

Her  ladyship's  French  was  the  queerest  im- 
aginable,—  yet  in  her  youth  she  had  the  French 
tutor  who  had  taught  the  daughters  of  the 
Regent  of  France. 

There  was  a  silence  after  the  tall  footman 
left,  during  which  my  lady  and  I  eyed  each 
other  closely.  I  remembered  having  heard  that 
she  had  defied  her  father,  Lord  Bosanquet,  and 
one  of  the  greatest  family  connections  in  the 
kingdom,  in  order  to  marry  Sir  Peter,  who  was 
then  a  penniless  lieutenant  in  his  Majesty's 
navy  and  the  son  of  a  drysalter  in  the  city. 
This  same  drysalter  was  my  great-grandfather; 
but  I  had  an  infusion  of  another  blood  through 
my  mother,  God  bless  her !  —  who  was  of  a  high 
family  and  a  baronet's  daughter.  The  dry- 
salter  strain  was  honest,  but  plebeian,  while 
* 


"  Here  is  your  nephew  Tom's  brat."     Page  j 


TLc  Loves  of  tic  Lacly  Arabella 

the  baronet  strain  was  rather  more  lofty  than 
honest,  I  fancy. 

Having  heard,  as  I  say,  of  the  desperate 
struggle  it  cost  Lady  Hawkshaw  to  marry  her 
lieutenant,  I  somewhat  expected  to  find  her  and 
Admiral  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw  living  like  doves 
in  a  cage,  and  was  disconcerted  at  the  message 
her  ladyship  sent  her  lord.  But  I  was  still  more 
disconcerted  when  Sir  Peter,  a  short,  stout  man, 
with  a  choleric  eye,  presently  bounced  into  the 
room. 

"  Sir  Peter,"  said  her  ladyship,  "  here  is  your 
nephew  Tom's  brat,  who  wants  a  midshipman's 
warrant." 

Sir  Peter  stopped  short,  looked  me  over, —  I 
was  tall  for  my  age, —  and  grinned  savagely. 
I  thought  it  was  all  up  with  me  and  was  almost 
ready  to  haul  down  my  flag. 

"  And  Sir  Peter,"  screamed  her  ladyship,  "  he 
must  have  it !  " 

"  Hang  me,  my  lady ! "  snapped  Sir  Peter, 
"  but  when  did  you  take  such  an  interest  in  my 
nephew  Tom's  brat?  " 

"  This  very  hour,"  replied  Lady  Hawkshaw 
tartly,  and  tossing  her  black  plumes  haughtily. 


TLc  Loves  of  tLe  Lac^  Arabella 

"  You  behaved  like  a  wretch  to  the  boy  after 
the  death  of  his  father  and  mother  in  America ; 
and  God  has  given  you  the  chance  to  make 
amends,  and  I  say  he  shall  have  his  warrant." 

"  Zounds,  Madam !  "  bawled  Sir  Peter ;  "  since 
you  take  the  liberty  of  disposing  of  my  war- 
rants, I  presume  you  are  the  holder  of  my 
commission  as  Vice-Admiral  of  the  White  in 
his  Majesty's  service.  Let  me  know  it  if  you 
are  —  let  me  know  it,  I  say !  " 

"  Stuff ! "  responded  my  lady,  to  which  Sir 
Peter  answered  something  that  sounded  like 
"Damme!"  and  then  my  attention  was  dis- 
tracted from  this  matrimonial  engagement  by 
the  silent  entrance  of  two  young  girls.  One 
of  them  was  about  twelve  years  of  age.  She 
had  dove-like  eyes,  and  her  dark  lashes  kissed 
her  cheek.  She  came  and  stood  familiarly  by 
Lady  Hawkshaw's  chair;  and  the  gentle  affec- 
tionateness  of  her  manner  toward  that  redoubt- 
able person  amazed  me  at  the  time.  This  was 
my  first  sight  of  Daphne  Carmichael;  and 
when  she  fixed  her  soft,  childish  glance  upon 
me,  it  was  like  the  sight  of  stars  on  a  cloudy 
night.  But  the  other  one,  a  tall  girl  of  sixteen 
4 


Tie  Loves  of  tic  Lacbr  Arabella 

or  thereabouts,  dazzled  me  so  that  I  am  obliged 
to  confess  I  had  no  more  eyes  for  Daphne. 
This  older  girl  was  the  Lady  Arabella  Stor- 
mont,  and  was  then  and  always  by  far  the 
handsomest  creature  I  ever  beheld.  I  shall  not 
attempt  to  describe  her.  I  will  only  say  that 
her  brilliant  face,  with  such  a  complexion  as 
I  never  saw  before  or  since,  showed  a  haughty 
indifference  toward  the  shabby  boy  over  whom 
Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw  were  squabbling, 
and  the  sense  of  my  shabbiness  and  helplessness 
pierced  my  heart  under  Lady  Arabella's  calmly 
scornful  gaze. 

Both  of  these  young  girls  were  the  great- 
nieces  of  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw,  but  not  on  the 
drysalter's  side,  so  they  were  no  blood-relation 
to  me.  Sir  Peter  was  their  guardian,  and  Lady 
Hawkshaw  had  charge  of  them,  and  was  most 
kind  and  devoted  to  them  in  her  way.  I 
soon  found  out  that  every  one  of  Sir  Peter's 
family  had  a  good  friend  in  Lady  Hawkshaw; 
and  I  may  as  well  say  here  that  for  true 
devotion  and  incessant  wrangling,  I  never  saw 
a  married  pair  that  equaled  Sir  Peter  and  Lady 
Hawkshaw. 

5 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacb  Arabella 

The  discussion  between  them  concerning  me 
grew  hotter,  and  I  grew  as  hot  as  the  dis- 
cussion, in  thinking  what  a  figure  I  was  making 
before  that  divinely  beautiful  Lady  Arabella. 
I  had  clean  forgotten  Daphne.  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw  lugged  in  a  great  variety  of  extraneous 
matter,  reminding  Sir  Peter  of  certain  awful 
predictions  concerning  his  future  which  had 
been  made  by  the  last  chaplain  who  sailed  with 
him.  Sir  Peter  denounced  the  chaplain  as  a 
sniveling  dog.  Lady  Hawkshaw  indulged  in 
some  French,  at  which  Lady  Arabella  laughed 
behind  her  hand. 

The  battle  royal  lasted  some  time  longer,  but 
Lady  Hawkshaw's  metal  was  plainly  heavier 
than  Sir  Peter's;  and  it  ended  by  Sir  Peter's 
saying  to  me  angrily : 

"  Very  well,  sir,  to  oblige  my  lady  I  will  give 
you  the  remaining  midshipman's  berth  on  the 
Ajax,  seventy-four.  You  may  go  home  now, 
but  show  yourself  aboard  the  Ajax  at  Ports- 
mouth, before  twelve  o'clock  on  this  day  week, 
and  be  very  careful  to  mind  your  eye." 

I  had  nerved  myself  to  hear  with  coolness 
the  refusal  of  this  fiery  admiral;  but  his  real 
6 


Tnc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

kindness,  disguised  under  so  much  of  choler, 
overcame  me.  I  stammered  something  and 
stopped,  —  that  hound  of  a  footman  was  grin- 
ning at  me,  because  my  eyes  were  full  of  tears, 
and  also,  perhaps,  because  my  coat  was  of 
cheap  make,  and  my  shoes  needed  attention. 
But  at  that  moment  little  Daphne,  with  the 
greatest  artlessness,  came  up  and  slipped  her 
little  hand  into  mine,  saying: 

"  He  means  he  is  very  much  obliged  to  you, 
uncle,  and  to  you,  dear  aunt." 

I  do  not  know  how  I  got  out  of  the  house, 
but  the  next  thing  I  knew  I  was  standing  on 
the  street  outside.  I  had  been  told  to  go  home. 
I  had  no  home  now  unless  the  Bull-in-the-Bush 
tavern  be  one.  But  I  did  not  return  to  the 
Bull-in-the-Bush,  whose  tawdry  splendors  re- 
volted me  now,  after  I  had  seen  Sir  Peter 
Hawkshaw's  imposing  house,  as  much  as  they 
had  before  attracted  me.  I  was  tingling  with 
the  sense  of  beauty  newly  developed  in  me.  I 
could  not  forget  that  exquisite  vision  of  Lady 
Arabella  Stormont,  who  seemed  to  my  boyish 
mind  more  like  a  white  rose-bush  in  full  flower 
than  anything  I  could  call  to  memory.  I  made 
7 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

my  way  instead  to  the  plain,  though  clean  lodg- 
ings, where  I  had  spent  the  years  since  my  par- 
ents' death,  with  good  Betty  Green,  the  widow  of 
Corporal  Green,  late  of  my  father's  regiment. 

These  two  excellent  but  humble  creatures 
had  brought  me,  an  orphan,  home  from  my 
birthplace,  America,  consigned  to  Sir  Peter  and 
Lady  Hawkshaw.  This  woman,  Betty  Green, 
had  been  my  mother's  devoted  servant,  as  her 
husband  had  been  my  father's,  and  it  was 
thought  perfectly  safe  to  send  me  home  with 
them.  But  there  was  a  danger  which  no  one 
foresaw.  Betty  was  one  of  those  strange 
women  who  love  like  a  lioness.  This  lioness* 
love  she  felt  for  me;  and  for  that  reason,  I 
believe,  she  deliberately  planned  to  prevent  my 
family  from  ever  getting  hold  of  me.  It  is 
true,  on  landing  in  England,  her  husband's 
regiment  being  ordered  to  Winchester,  she  went 
to  see  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw  and,  I  suspect,  pur- 
posely made  him  so  angry  that,  Lady  Hawkshaw 
being  absent,  he  almost  kicked  Betty  Green 
out  of  the  house.  That  is  what  I  fancy  my 
lady  meant  when  she  reproached  Sir  Peter  with 
cruelty  to  me.  I  well  remember  the  air  of 
8 


Tie  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

triumph  with    which   Betty   returned   and  told 

the  corporal  of  her  ill  success;  then,  clasping 

me  in  her  arms,  she  burst  out  with  a  cry  that 

no  admiral  nor  ladies  nor  lords  neither  should 

take  her  darling  boy  away  from  her.     Green, 

her  husband,  being  a  steady,  cool-headed  fellow, 

waited  until  the  paroxysm  was  over,  when  he 

told  her  plainly  that  she  must  carry  out  my 

parents'  instructions,  and  he  himself  would  go 

to   see    Sir   Peter   as   soon   as   he    could.     But 

Fate  disposed  of  this  plan  by  cutting  short  the 

corporal's  life  the  next  week,  most  unexpectedly. 

Then  this  woman,  Betty   Green, —  illiterate,  a 

stranger  in  England,  and  supporting  us  both 

by  her  daily  labor, —  managed  to  foil  all  of 

the  efforts  of  Admiral  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw  to 

find  me ;  for  he  had  done  all  he  could  to  discover 

the  whereabouts  of  his  nephew's  orphan.     'Tis 

not  for  me  to  say  one  word  against  Betty  Green, 

for  she  slaved  for  me  as  only  a  woman  can  slave, 

and,  besides,  brought  me  up  in  the  habits  and 

manners  of  a  gentleman,   albeit  she  did  little 

for  my  education,  and  to  this  day  I  am  prone 

to  be  embarrassed  when  I  have  a  pen  in  my 

hand.     I  can  not  say  that  I  was  happy  in  the 

9 


TLc  Loves  of  tlie  Lacb  Arabella 

devoted,  though  savage  love  she  lavished  upon 
me.  She  would  not  allow  me  to  play  with  the 
boys  of  her  own  class,  and  those  of  my  class  I 
never  saw.  All  my  clamorings  to  know  some- 
thing about  my  family  on  either  side  were  met 
by  her  declaring  that  she  had  forgotten  where 
my  mother's  people  lived ;  and  as  for  Sir  Peter, 
she  gave  me  such  a  horrifying  account  of  him 
that  I  never  dreamed  it  possible  to  receive  any 
kindness  from  him.  At  last,  though,  on  her 
death-bed,  she  acknowledged  a  part  of  the  de- 
ception her  desperate  affection  had  impelled  her 
to  play  upon  me.  The  poor  soul  had  actually 
forgotten  about  my  mother's  family,  and  had 
destroyed  everything  relating  to  them,  but  di- 
rected me  to  go  to  Sir  Peter;  and  thus  it  was 
that,  on  the  day  after  I  saw  Betty  Green,  my 
only  friend  on  earth,  laid  in  a  pauper's  grave, 
I  went  to  the  house  of  my  father's  uncle,  with 
the  result  narrated.  When  I  got  back  to  the 
humble  lodgings  where  I  had  lived  before 
Betty's  death,  I  looked  up  a  small  box  of 
trinkets  of  little  value  which  had  belonged  to 
my  mother,  and  from  the  sale  of  them  I  got 
enough  to  live  upon  for  a  week,  and  to  make 
10 


Toe  Loves  of  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

my  way  to  Portsmouth  at  the  end  of  it.  Either 
Sir  Peter  had  forgotten  to  tell  me  anything 
about  my  outfit,  or  else  I  had  slipped  out  so 
quickly  —  galled  by  the  fear  of  weeping  before 
that  rascally  footman  —  that  he  had  no  chance. 
At  all  events,  I  arrived  at  Portsmouth  by  the 
mail-coach,  with  all  of  my  belongings  in  one 
shabby  portmanteau. 

I  shall  not  describe  my  feelings  during  that 
journey  toward  the  new  life  that  awaited  me. 
In  fact,  I  scarcely  recall  them  coherently ;  all 
was  a  maze,  a  jumble,  and  an  uproar  in  my 
mind. 

We  got  down  in  the  inn  yard, —  a  coach  full 
of  passengers, —  I  the  only  cne  who  seemed 
adrift  and  alone  among  them.  I  stood  looking 
about  me  —  at  a  pert  chambermaid  who  impu- 
dently ogled  the  hostlers  and  got  a  kiss  in  re- 
turn; at  the  pretentious  entrance  to  the  inn;  at 
all  of  the  bustle  and  confusion  of  the  arrival 
of  the  coach.  Presently  I  saw  a  young  gentle- 
man somewhat  older  than  myself,  and  wearing 
the  uniform  of  his  Majesty's  sea-service,  come 
out  of  the  inn  door.  He  had  a  very  elegant 
figure,  but  his  face  was  rather  plain.  Within 
11 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacbr  Arabella 

five  minutes  of  my  first  meeting  with  Giles 
Vernon,  I  had  an  example  of  what  was  one  of 
his  most  striking  traits  —  every  woman  in  sight 
immediately  fixed  her  attention  on  him  and 
smiled  at  him.  One  was  the  chambermaid,  who 
left  off  ogling  the  hostlers  and  gaped  at  this 
young  officer  with  her  coarse,  handsome  face 
all  aflame;  another  was  the  landlady,  who  fol- 
lowed him  to  the  door,  smirking  and  fanning 
herself;  and  the  third  was  a  venerable  Quaker- 
ess, who  was  about  entering  the  inn,  and  who 
beamed  benevolently  on  him  as  he  bowed  gal- 
lantly in  passing.  I  know  not  why  this  should 
have  made  such  an  impression  on  me;  but  being 
young  and  a  fool,  I  thought  beauty  was  as 
highly  prized  by  women  as  by  men,  and  it 
surprised  me  that  a  fellow  with  a  mouth  so  wide 
and  with  something  dangerously  near  a  squint 
should  be  such  a  lady-killer.  It  was  common 
enough  for  young  gentlemen  holding  midship- 
men's warrants  to  come  down  by  the  coach,  and 
as  soon  as  he  saw  me  this  young  officer  called 
out: 

"Halloo,  my  hearty !     Is  it  a  ship  of  the  line 
or  a  frigate  you  are  booked  for?     Or  is  it  one 
12 


Tic  Loves  or  tie  Lacy  Arabella 

of  those  damned  gun-brigs  which  are  unfit  for 
a  gentleman  to  serve  in  ?  " 

Now,  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  my  bring- 
ing^up  had  given  me  a  ridiculous  haughtiness, 
—  for  Betty  Green  had  never  ceased  to  implore 
me  to  remember  my  quality, —  so  I  replied  to 
this  offhand  speech  in  kind. 

"  A  ship  of  the  line,"  said  I.  "  Damme,  do 
you  think  I'd  serve  in  a  gun-brig?  " 

He  came  up  a  little  closer  to  me,  looked  at 
me  attentively,  and  said, — 

"  It's  an  infant  Rodney,  sure.  Was  not 
Americus  Vespucius  your  grandfather?  And 
was  not  your  grandmother  in  love  with  Noah 
when  he  was  oakum  boy  at  the  Portsmouth 
docks?" 

I  considered  this  very  offensive  and,  drawing 
myself  up,  said, — 

"  My  grandfather  was  a  baronet,  and  my 
grand-uncle  is  Admiral  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw, 
whose  flagship,  as  you  may  know,  is  the  Ajax, 
seventy-four." 

"  I  know  him  well,"  responded  my  new  ac- 
quaintance. "  We  were  drunk  together  this 
night  week.  He  bears  for  arms  Lot's  wife 
13 


Ttc  Loves  of  tie  Lacjy  Arabella 

after  she  was  turned  into  a  pillar  of  salt,  with 
the  device,  « I  thirst '." 

This  was  an  allusion  to  the  drysalter.  For 
I  soon  found  that  the  young  gentlemen  in  the 
cockpit  were  intimately  acquainted  with  all  of 
the  antecedents,  glorious  or  otherwise,  of  their 
superior  officers. 

The  lie  in  the  early  part  of  this  sentence  was 
patent  to  me,  but  so  great  was  the  power  to 
charm  of  this  squinting,  wide-mouthed  fellow, 
that  I  felt  myself  drawn  to  him  irresistibly,  and 
something  in  my  countenance  showed  it,  for 
he  linked  his  arm  through  mine  and  began 
again, — 

"  I  know  your  great-aunt,  too,  Polly  Hawk- 
shaw.  Dreadful  old  girl.  I  hear  she  can  tack 
ship  as  well  as  the  admiral;  knows  to  a  shil- 
ling what  his  mess  bill  is,  and  teaches  him 
trigonometry  when  he  is  on  leave." 

This  was,  of  course,  a  vilification,  and  Lady 
Hawkshaw's  name  was  not  Polly,  but  Apol- 
lonia;  but  I  blush  to  say  I  spoke  not  one  word 
in  defense  of  either  her  or  her  name.  It  oc- 
curred to  me  that  my  new  friend  was  a  person 
who  could  give  me  much  information  about  my 
14 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Laciy  Arabella 

outfit  and  uniforms,  and  I  candidly  stated  my 
case  to  him. 

"  Come  on,"  he  cried.  "  There's  a  rascal  of 
a  haberdasher  here  who  lives  off  his  Majesty's 
officers,  and  I'll  take  you  there  and  fit  you  out; 
for  Sir  Peter's  the  man  to  have  his  young 
officers  smart.  A  friend  of  mine  —  poor  fel- 
low !  —  happened  to  be  caught  in  mufti  in  the 
Ajax  the  other  day,  and  Sir  Peter  had  all  hands 
turned  up  for  an  execution.  My  unhappy 
friend  begged  that  he  might  be  shot  instead  of 
hanged,  and  Sir  Peter,  I'll  admit,  granted  him 
the  favor.  The  poor  fellow  tied  the  handker- 
chief over  his  eyes  himself,  forgave  all  his 
enemies,  and  asked  his  friends  to  pay  his  debts. 
Zounds,  'twas  the  most  affecting  scene  I  ever 
witnessed." 

I  plainly  perceived  that  my  companion  was 
talking  to  frighten  me,  and  showed  it  by 
thrusting  my  tongue  into  my  cheek,  which 
caused  him  to  burst  out  laughing.  He  pres- 
ently became  grave,  however,  and  assured  me 
solemnly  that  a  sea-officer  had  his  choice  of 
dressing  handsomely,  or  being  court-martialed 
and  shot.  "  For,"  said  he,  "  the  one  hundred 
15 


and  forty-fourth  regulation  of  the  service 
reads,  '  All  of  his  Majesty's  sea-officers  are  com- 
manded to  marry  heiresses,  and  in  these  cases, 
the  usual  penalties  for  the  abduction  of  heiresses 
are  remitted '.  Now,  how  can  we  abduct  heir- 
esses, or  even  get  them  to  look  at  us,  without 
fine  clothes?  Women,  my  boy,  are  caught  by 
the  eye  alone  —  and  I  know  'em,  by  Gad ! " 

This  trifling  speech  remained  in  my  memory, 
and  the  day  came  when  I  recalled  the  idle  talk 
of  us  two  laughing  midshipmen  as  prophetic. 

We  went  together  to  a  shop,  where,  under 
his  direction  and  that  of  an  oily-tongued  shop- 
man, I  ordered  one  of  the  handsomest  outfits 
any  midshipman  could  possibly  have,  including 
two  dozen  of  silk  stockings,  as  my  new-found 
friend  informed  me  that  every  man  on  board 
his  Majesty's  ships,  from  the  admiral  down  to 
the  jack-o'-the-dust,  always  wore  silk  stockings, 
because  in  the  event  of  being  struck  by  a  ball 
or  a  pike  or  a  cutlass  in  action,  the  danger  from 
inflammation  was  much  less  with  silk  than  with 
cotton  or  wool. 

All  went  swimmingly,  until  it  was  time  to 
pay  for  the  things.  Then,  I  acknowledge,  I 
16 


was  at  a  loss.  The  shopman,  suddenly  chang- 
ing his  tone,  cried  out  to  my  companion, — 

"  Mr.  Giles  Vernon,  I  remember  the  last 
reefer  you  brought  here  bought  near  a  boat- 
load and  paid  with  the  foresail,  as  you  gentle- 
men of  the  sea  call  it.  I  will  not  be  done  this 
time,  I  assure  you." 

At  this,  Giles  Vernon  promptly  drew  his 
sword,  which  did  not  disturb  the  shopman  in 
the  least,  as  I  found  out  afterward;  young 
gentlemen  of  Giles'  age  and  rank,  in  Ports- 
mouth, drew  their  swords  whenever  they  could 
not  draw  their  purses.  But  I  was  very  un- 
happy, not  on  Giles'  account,  but  on  that  of 
the  poor  shopman,  whom  I  expected  to  see 
weltering  in  his  blood.  After  a  wordy  war, 
Giles  left  the  shop,  taking  me  with  him,  and 
menacing  the  shopman,  in  case  the  purchases  I 
had  ordered  did  not  come  aboard  the  Ajax  that 
night. 

I  thought  it  wise  to  suggest  that  I  should 
now  go  aboard,  as  it  was  well  on  to  three 
o'clock.  Giles  agreed  with  me.  I  had  for- 
gotten to  ask  him  what  ship  he  was  attached 
to,  but  it  suddenly  occurred  to  me  that  he,  too, 
17 


Toe  Loves  of  tLe  Lac^  Arabella 

might  be  in  the  Ajax,  and  I  asked  him.     Im- 
agine my  delight  when  he  said  yes. 

"  But  if  the  admiral  does  not  behave  him- 
self better,"  he  added,  "  and  if  the  captain  does 
not  ask  me  to  dinner  oftener  than  he  has  been 
doing  lately,  I  shall  prefer  charges  against  both 
of  them.  I  have  been  assured  by  the  lords  in 
admiralty  that  any  request  of  mine  will  be  re- 
garded as  an  order  by  them,  and  I  shall  request 
that  Admiral  Hawkshaw  and  Captain  Guilford 
be  relieved  of  their  commands." 

By  that  time  we  had  reached  the  water  and 
there,  stepping  into  a  splendid,  eight-oared 
barge,  I  saw  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw.  He  caught 
sight  of  us  at  the  same  moment,  and  the  change 
in  Giles  Vernon's  manner  was  what  might  have 
been  expected.  He  was  even  more  modest  and 
deferential  than  I,  as  we  advanced. 

"  Here  you  are ! "  pleasantly  cried  the  ad- 
miral to  me.  "  You  ran  away  so  fast  t'other 
day,  that  I  had  no  chance  to  give  you  any 
directions,  and  I  scarcely  expected  you  to  turn 
up  to-day.  However,  I  shall  now  take  you  to 
the  ship.  Mr.  Vernon,  I  have  room  for  you." 

*  Thank    you,    sir,"    responded    Giles    very 
18 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

gratefully,  "  but  I  have  a  pressing  engagement 
on  shore  —  a  matter  of  important  business  —  " 
at  which  I  saw  the  suspicion  of  a  grin  on  the 
admiral's  homely  old  face.  He  said  little  to 
me  until  we  were  in  the  great  cabin  of  the 
Ajax.  For  myself,  I  can  only  say  that  I  was 
so  awed  by  the  beauty,  the  majesty,  the  splendor 
of  one  of  the  finest  ships  of  the  line  in  the 
world,  that  I  was  dumb  with  delight  and 
amazement.  Once  in  the  cabin,  the  admiral 
asked  me  about  my  means  and  my  outfit.  I 
burst  out  with  the  whole  story  of  what  oc- 
curred in  the  haberdasher's  shop,  at  which  Sir 
Peter  looked  very  solemn,  and  lectured  me  upon 
the  recklessness  of  my  conduct  in  ordering 
things  with  no  money  to  pay  for  them,  and 
followed  it  up  with  an  offer  to  fit  me  out 
handsomely.  This  I  accepted  with  the  utmost 
gratitude,  and  in  a  day  or  two  I  found  myself 
established  as  one  of  his  Majesty's  midshipmen 
in  the  cockpit  of  the  Ajax,  and  I  began  to 
see  life. 


19 


n 

My  introduction  into  the  cockpit  of  the  Ajax 
was  pretty  much  that  of  every  other  reefer  in 
his  Majesty's  navy.  I  was,  of  course,  told  that 
I  showed  the  most  brazen  presumption  in  daring 
to  wish  to  enter  the  naval  service;  that  I  ought 
to  be  a  choir  boy  at  St.  Paul's ;  that  haymalcing 
was  my  profession  by  nature,  to  say  nothing  of 
an  exchange  of  black  eyes  and  bloody  noses  with 
every  midshipman  of  my  size  in  the  cockpit. 
Through  all  this  Giles  Vernon  was  my  chief 
tormentor  and  best  friend.  He  proclaimed 
the  fact  of  my  drysalting  ancestry,  and  when 
I  imprudently  reminded  him  that  I  was  the 
grandson  of  a  baronet,  he  gave  me  one  kick 
for  the  drysalter  and  two  for  the  baronet.  He 
showed  me  a  battered  old  cocked  hat  hung  up 
on  a  nail  in  the  steerage  country. 

"  Do  you  see  that  hat,  you  young  rapscal- 
lion ?  "  he  asked. 

I  replied  that  I  did,  and  a  shocking  bad  hat 
it  was,  too. 

20 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

"  That  hat  was  once  the  property  of  that 
old  pirate  and  bucaneer,  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw, 
Vice- Admiral  of  the  White.  It  is  named  after 
him,  and  whenever  his  conduct  displeases  the 
junior  officers  on  this  ship, —  which  it  generally 
does, —  that  hat,  dear  boy,  is  kicked  and  cursed 
as  a  proxy  for  your  respected  great-uncle. 
Now  understand:  your  position  in  the  cockpit 
is  that  of  this  hat.  In  fact,  you  will  take  the 
hat's  place," —  which  I  found  to  be  true,  and  I 
was  called  to  account  every  day  for  some  part 
of  the  conduct  of  Admiral  Hawkshaw,  although 
I  did  not  see  him  twice  in  the  week. 

Mr.  Buxton,  our  first  lieutenant,  was  a  fine 
officer,  and  celebrated  for  licking  midshipmen 
into  shape;  and  if  I  learned  my  duty  quickly, 
he,  rather  than  I,  deserves  the  credit. 

My  experience  of  other  ships  convinces  me 
that  the  juniors  in  the  Ajax  were  clever  fel- 
lows; but  Giles  Vernon  was  undoubtedly  the 
smartest  officer  among  them  and  cock  of  the 
walk  between  decks.  He  had  innumerable  good 
qualities,  but  the  beggarly  virtue  of  prudence 
was  not  among  them.  He  had,  however,  an- 
other virtue  in  a  high  degree, — a  daring  and 
21 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

invincible  courage.  That,  and  his  smartness  as 
an  officer,  made  Mr.  Buxton  his  friend,  and 
caused  many  of  his  peccadilloes  to  be  over- 
looked. 

The  fact  that  at  nineteen  Giles  Vernon  was 
still  only  a  midshipman  made  me  think  that  he 
was  without  fortune  or  influence;  but  I  was 
soon  enlightened  on  the  subject,  though  not  by 
him.  He  was  the  distant  cousin  and  heir  of 
Sir  Thomas  Vernon  of  Vernon  Court,  near  York, 
and  of  Grosvenor  Square,  London.  This  man 
was  generally  spoken  of  as  the  wicked  Sir 
Thomas,  and  a  mortal  hatred  subsisted  between 
him  and  his  heir.  Giles  had  been  caught  trying 
to  induce  the  money  sharks  to  take  his  post- 
obits  ;  but  as  Sir  Thomas  was  not  yet  fifty  years 
of  age,  and  it  was  quite  possible  that  he  should 
marry,  the  only  result  was  to  fan  the  flame  of 
animosity  between  him  and  his  heir,  without 
Giles'  getting  a  shilling.  The  next  heir  to  Giles 
was  another  cousin,  remote  from  both  him  and 
Sir  Thomas,  one  Captain  Philip  Overton  of  the 
Guards,  who  was  as  much  disliked  by  Sir 
Thomas  as  was  Giles.  Giles,  who  had  been  at 
sea  since  his  twelfth  year,  knew  little  or  nothing 


of  Captain  Overton,  although  he  swore  many 
times  in  a  month  that  he  meant  to  marry  the 
first  woman  who  would  take  him,  for  the  purpose 
of  cutting  off  Overton's  hopes;  but  it  occurred 
to  me,  young  as  I  was,  that  Giles  was  not  the 
man  to  give  up  his  liberty  to  the  first  woman 
who  was  willing  to  accept  of  it. 

We  were  fitting  for  the  Mediterranean,  and 
the  ship  lay  in  the  inner  harbor  at  Portsmouth, 
waiting  her  turn  to  go  in  dry  dock  to  be  cop- 
pered. There  was  plenty  for  the  seniors  to  do, 
but  not  much  for  the  midshipmen  at  that  par- 
ticular time;  and  we  had  more  runs  on  shore 
than  usual.  The  rest  of  us  were  satisfied  with 
Portsmouth,  but  Giles  was  always  raving  of 
London  and  the  London  playhouses. 

Knowing  how  long  I  had  lived  in  London,  he 
said  to  me  one  day, — 

"  Were  you  ever  at  Drury  Lane  Theater,  my 
lad?" 

I  said  no,  I  had  never  been  to  the  playhouse ; 
and  I  blushed  as  I  said  it,  not  'desiring  my 
messmates  to  know  that  I  had  been  brought  up 
by  Betty  Green,  a  corporal's  widow. 

"  Then,  child,"  he  cried,  whacking  me  on  the 
23 


Tie,  Loves  of  tic  Lac^  Arabella 

back,  "  you  have  yet  to  live.  Have  you  not  seen 
Mistress  Trenchard  —  the  divine  Sylvia  —  as 
Roxana,  as  Lady  Percy,  as  Violetta?  Oh,  what 
a  galaxy  of  parts !  Oh,  the  divine  creature !  " 

He  threw  himself  across  the  mess-table  at 
that,  for  we  were  in  the  cockpit  at  the  time.  I 
laughed,  boylike,  at  his  raptures,  and  he  groan- 
ed loudly. 

"  Such  a  face  and  figure !  Such  a  foot  and 
ankle!  Such  a  melting  eye!  Such  a  luscious 
voice ! " 

I  own  that  this  outburst  did  more  to  make 
me  realize  that  Giles,  after  all,  was  but  nine- 
teen than  anything  that  had  gone  before ;  for  I 
knew  that  older  men  did  not  so  rave. 

"  And,"  he  cried  wildly,  "  I  can  not  see  her 
before  we  sail.  By  Heaven,  I  will  see  her! 
'Tis  seventy-four  miles  between  me  and  her 
angel  face.  It  can  be  done  in  seven  hours  and 
twenty  minutes.  I  can  get  twenty-four  hours* 
leave  —  but  not  a  word  of  this,  you  haymaking 
son  of  a  farmer." 

No  sooner  had  Giles  said  this  than  with  the 
determination  to  be  known  as  a  man  of  spirit 
(I  was,  as  I  said,  but  fourteen),  I  concluded  I 
24- 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

would  go  to  London,  too.  On  the  day  that 
Giles  Vernon  got  his  twenty-four  hours'  leave, 
I  also  got  the  same.  Mr.  Buxton  looked  a 
little  queer  when  I  asked  him  for  it,  and  said 
something  about  not  allowing  the  midshipmen 
to  leave  Portsmouth;  but  I  answered  readily 
enough  that  I  wished  very  much  to  go  on  a 
little  expedition  with  Giles  Vernon,  which  would 
last  overnight.  As  the  other  midshipmen  had 
been  allowed  similar  liberty,  I  got  my  request; 
and  next  morning,  as  the  Phosbus  coach  for 
London  rolled  out  of  the  stables  into  the  inner 
yard,  I  appeared.  Giles  Vernon  was  also  on 
hand.  His  surprise  was  great  when  he  saw  me. 

"  You  take  a  risk,  my  lad,"  he  said. 

"  No  more  than  you  do,"  I  replied  stoutly. 
"  And  I,  too,  love  a  roguish  eye  and  a  blushing 
cheek,  and  mean  to  go  to  the  playhouse  with 
you  to  see  Mistress  Trenchard."  At  which 
Giles  roared  out  one  of  his  rich  laughs,  and 
cried, — 

"  Come  along  then,  my  infant  Don  Juan." 

We  got  inside  the  coach,  because  it  was  far 
from  unlikely  that  we  might  meet  some  of  our 
own  officers  on  the  road,  or  even  Sir  Peter 
25 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

Hawkshaw  himself,  who  traveled  much  between 
Portsmouth  and  the  Admiralty.  And  had  we 
been  caught,  there  is  little  doubt  that  we  should 
have  been  forced  to  right  about  face,  in  spite 
of  the  leave  each  one  of  us  had  in  his  pocket. 
So  we  made  ourselves  extremely  small  in  a 
corner  of  the  coach,  and  only  ventured  to  peep 
out  once,  when  we  caught  sight  of  Sir  Peter 
Hawkshaw's  traveling  chaise  going  London- 
wards,  and  Sir  Peter  himself  lying  back  in  it, 
reading  a  newspaper.  After  that,  you  may  be 
sure  we  were  very  circumspect. 

I  noticed,  however,  the  same  thing  in  the 
coach  that  I  had  observed  the  first  hour  I  set 
eyes  on  Giles  Vernon  —  that  every  woman  he 
met  was  his  friend.  There  were  some  trades- 
men's wives,  a  French  hairdresser,  and  the 
usual  assortment  of  women  to  be  found  in  a 
public  coach;  and  in  half  an  hour  Giles  Vernon 
had  said  a  pleasant  word  to  every  one  of  them, 
and  basked  in  their  smiles. 

The    day    was    in    April,    and    was    bright 

throughout;  and  the  relays  of  horses  were  so 

excellent  that  we  reached  London  at  four  in  the 

afternoon,  having  left  Portsmouth  at  nine  in 

26 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

the  morning.  We  went  straight  to  a  chop- 
house,  for  we  were  ravenously  hungry. 

"  And  now,  Dicky  boy,"  said  Giles  to  me, 
"  keep  a  bright  lookout  for  any  of  our  men ; 
and  if  you  see  one,  cut  your  cable  and  run  for 
it,  and  if  we  are  separated,  meet  me  at  the 
White  Horse  Cellar  at  twelve  o'clock  to-night 
to  take  the  midnight  coach." 

By  the  time  we  had  got  our  dinner,  it  was 
time  to  go  to  the  play.  We  marched  off,  and 
made  our  way  through  the  mob  of  footmen,  and 
got  seats  for  the  pit;  and  when  we  went  in, 
and  I  saw  the  playhouse  lighted  up  and  the 
boxes  filled  with  beautiful  creatures,  I  was  near 
beside  myself.  Giles  laughed  at  me,  but  that 
I  did  not  mind. 

I  gaped  about  me  until  suddenly  Giles 
gripped  my  arm,  and  whispered  to  me, — 

"  Don't  look  to  the  left.  There  is  a  box  with 
Peter  Hawkshaw  in  it,  and  Polly,  and  two  girls 
—  one  of  them  the  greatest  beauty  I  ever  saw, 
though  but  a  slip  of  a  girl.  If  Peter  or  Polly 
sees  us,  Lord  help  us ! " 

I  did  not  look  around  immediately,  but  the 
desire  to  have  a  glimpse  of  the  adorable  Lady 
27 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

Arabella  made  me  steal  a  glance  that  way. 
She  was  very  beautifully  dressed,  and  though 
but  little  more  than  sixteen,  such  a  vision  of 
loveliness  as  fairly  to  rival  reigning  beauties  of 
several  seasons'  standing.  I  own  that  I  saw 
little  Daphne  sitting  by  Lady  Arabella,  but  I 
noted  her  scarcely  at  all. 

Nor  could  Giles  keep  his  eyes  off  Lady  Ara- 
bella; and  I  noticed  that  even  when  the  divine 
Sylvia,  as  he  called  her,  was  on  the  stage,  he 
was  not  strictly  attentive  to  her,  but  rather 
sought  that  fateful  box  where  so  much  beauty 
was  enthroned. 

The  divine  Sylvia  was  a  delightful  actress,  I 
must  admit,  and  in  spite  of  being  forty  if  she 
was  a  day,  and  though  raddled  with  paint,  she 
had  something  winning  in  her  air  and  face,  and 
I  could  understand  her  tremendous  popularity 
with  the  young  bloods. 

Neither  Sir  Peter  nor  Polly,  as  Giles  called 
her,  showed  any  signs  whatever  of  having  recog- 
nized us  in  the  large  crowd  in  the  pit,  and  we 
began  to  congratulate  ourselves  heartily.  There 
was  a  seat  next  to  us  held  by  a  gentleman's 
servant,  and  presently  he  gave  way  to  a  re- 
28 


Tic  Loves  of  tic  Lady  Arabella 

markably  handsome  young  man  of  six  or  seven 
and  twenty. 

A  few  words  passed  between  master  and  man, 
and  then  we  knew  that  the  handsome  gentleman 
was  Captain  Philip  Overton,  of  the  Second  Life 
Guards.  Giles  exchanged  significant  looks  with 
me. 

Captain  Overton  seated  himself  quietly,  and, 
after  a  careless  glance  at  the  house,  seemed  to 
retire  into  his  own  thoughts,  quite  unmindful  of 
the  stage  and  what  was  going  on  upon  it.  I 
wondered  why  a  man  who  seemed  so  little  in 
harmony  with  his  surroundings  should  take  the 
trouble  to  come  to  the  play. 

But  if  Captain  Overton  were  indifferent  to 
all  about  him,  one  person,  the  young  beauty  in 
Lady  Hawkshaw's  box,  was  far  from  indifferent 
to  him.  Lady  Arabella  saw  his  entrance,  and 
from  that  moment  she  was  occupied  in  trying 
to  obtain  his  attention.  When  at  last  he  recog- 
nized her  and  bowed  slightly,  she  flamed  all 
over  with  color,  and  gave  him  as  good  an  invi- 
tation as  any  man  might  want  to  come  to  her 
box.  But  Overton  made  no  sign  of  any  inten- 
tion to  go  to  her,  and,  when  she  finally  seemed 
29 


Toe  Loves  or  the  Laqy  Arabella 

to  realize  this,  she  became  as  indifferent  to  all 
about  her  as  he  was.  Other  persons  came  to 
the  box  and  went  during  the  play,  but  they 
got  little  heed  from  Lady  Arabella.  Little 
Daphne,  although  but  a  child,  not  yet  in  her 
teens,  showed  a  lively  interest  in  all  that 
passed  and  behaved  in  a  most  young-ladyish 
way,  much  to  my  diversion.  (I  wias  all  of  two 
years  older  than  she.) 

As  the  play  progressed,  I  saw  that  Giles  was 
becoming  more  and  more  infatuated  with  the 
fledgling  beauty,  and  he  even  whispered  to  me  a 
suggestion  that  we  present  ourselves  boldly  at 
the  door  of  the  box.  This  I  received  with  hor- 
ror, fearing  both  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw.  Indeed,  I  had  not  been  able  to  shake 
off  this  fear  of  my  great-uncle  and  aunt  for  a 
moment. 

One's  first  night  at  the  play  is  usually  a 
magic  dream,  but  mine  was  tempered  with  the 
dread  of  being  caught  on  the  spot,  of  being 
delayed  in  our  return  to  Portsmouth,  and  the 
torment  of  seeing  the  adored  of  my  heart  quite 
absorbed  in  another  man. 

When  the  play  was  over,  we  sat  still  until 
30 


o- 


There  was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  walk  along  beside  him.      Page 


the  Hawkshaw  party  had  passed  out,  and  then, 
more  for  the  sake  of  bravado,  I  think,  than 
inclination,  Giles  ran  pell-mell  to  the  stage 
door,  where  he  made  one  of  a  mob  of  gentlemen 
to  see  the  divine  Sylvia  to  her  chair.  And,  to 
my  alarm,  as  soon  as  the  lady  was  within  and 
the  curtain  drawn,  he  tipped  the  wink  to  one 
of  the  chairmen,  who  silently  gave  up  his  place, 
and  Giles,  taking  up  the  pole,  trudged  off, 
assisting  to  carry  his  portly  mistress.  There 
was  nothing  for  me  to  do  but  to  walk  along 
beside  him  amid  the  rattle  and  roar  of  coaches, 
the  shouting  of  the  hackney  coachmen,  the 
pushing  and  jostling  of  chairmen  and  linkboys, 
and  all  the  confusion  that  attends  the  emptying 
of  a  London  playhouse.  Mrs.  Trenchard's 
door  was  not  far  away,  and  when  she  was  put 
down,  and  Giles  sneaked  off,  I  observed  the 
handsome  Captain  Overton  standing  at  the  turn 
of  the  street  laughing  at  him.  Giles,  who  was 
so  timid  in  his%  love,  was  bold  enough  in  his 
wrath,  and  stepping  up  to  Overton  said  coolly: 

"  Sir,   I  perceive  you  are   smiling.     Who  is 
the  harlequin  that  amuses  you,  may  I  ask  ?  " 

"  You,  sir,"  promptly  answered  Overton. 
31 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacb  Arabella 

"  You  are  too  good,"  responded  Giles,  "  and  I 
have  before  pinked  my  man  in  beauty's  quarrel," 
—  and  then  he  slapped  Overton  in  the  mouth. 
The  next  thing  I  knew  their  two  swords  were 
flashing  in  the  moonlight.  I  stood  paralyzed 
with  fear.  Not  so  a  couple  of  burly  watchmen, 
who,  running  forward,  clutched  the  offenders 
and  dragged  them  apart. 

But  the  two  late  enemies,  making  common 
cause  against  the  watchmen,  fought  them  off; 
and  when  the  watchmen  desisted  from  the  fight 
to  spring  their  rattles  for  assistance,  both  Giles 
and  the  officer  ran  down  a  dark  alley,  followed 
by  me  as  fast  as  my  short  legs  would  carry  me, 
and  soon  all  three  of  us  were  huddled  together 
in  the  porch  of  a  church,  some  distance  away 
from  the  scene  of  the  fracas. 

"  Neatly  done,"  remarked  Overton  with  a 
smile,  to  Giles.  "  I  should  have  been  in  that 
brawny  fellow's  clutches  now,  but  for  the  clip 
over  the  head  you  gave  him." 

"  You  did  your  share,  sir,"  politely  responded 
Giles. 

"  But  time  presses  and  our  affairs  must  be 
settled,"  said  Overton ;  "  here  is  my  card.  It 


Tic  Loves  of  tne  Lacy  Arabella 

is  too  dark  to  read  it,  but  I  am  Captain  Philip 
Overton,  of  the  Second  Life  Guards." 

"  And  I,"  replied  Giles,  "  am  Midshipman 
Giles  Vernon,  of  the  Ajax,  ship  of  the  line,  now 
at  Portsmouth." 

By  the  dim  light  of  a  lantern  in  the  church 
porch,  I  saw  the  expression  of  astonishment 
upon  Overton's  face. 

"  Then,"  he  stammered,  "  we  are  related." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Giles,  smiling,  "  and  if  you 
pierce  me  through  with  sword  or  pistol,  it  will 
be  worth  one  of  the  finest  estates  in  the  king- 
dom to  you,  provided  always  that  old  villain, 
Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  does  not  marry  and  have 
children  to  spite  us." 

Overton  reflected,  half  laughing  and  half 
frowning. 

"  If  only  you  had  not  passed  a  blow !  Any- 
thing else,  there  could  be  an  accommodation 
for.  It  was  most  unfortunate." 

"  Yes,  as  it  turns  out,"  responded  Giles ; 
"  but  the  question  is,  now,  when  and  where  can 
we  meet  ?  " 

Just  then  the  great  bell  of  St.  Paul's  tolled 
out  the  half-hour  before  midnight,  and  I,  who 
33 


Tne  Loves  or  we  Lacy  Arabella 

had  been  an  almost  unobserved  listener,  spoke, 
out  of  the  fullness  of  my  heart. 

"  Giles,"  said  I,  "  the  coach  leaves  at  twelve. 
If  we  do  not  get  to  Portsmouth  in  time,  we 
are  deserters.  Let  Captain  Overton  write  to 
you  and  fight  afterward." 

"  Out  of  the  mouths  of  babes  and  sucklings 
comes  wisdom,"  replied  Overton,  smiling;  and 
so  in  two  minutes  it  was  settled,  Overton  agree- 
ing to  come  to  Portsmouth  to  fight,  if  Giles 
could  not  get  leave  to  meet  him  half-way  be- 
tween Portsmouth  and  London.  We  then  bade 
him  good-by,  and  ran  off  as  fast  as  our  legs 
could  carry  us,  and  barely  made  the  coach. 

We  traveled  all  night,  Giles  sleeping  soundly 
and  snoring  very  loud,  in  one  corner.  I  felt 
great  uneasiness  about  the  coming  meeting 
between  him  and  Overton,  although  I  believed 
there  was  no  hostile  feeling  between  them. 
But  when  two  men  face  each  other  with  arms 
in  their  hands,  there  is  always  the  possibility 
of  awful  catastrophe. 

The  roseate  morning  broke  when  we  were 
still  some  distance  from  Portsmouth.  The  sight 
of  the  blooming  hedge-rows,  the  bird-songs,  and 
34 


Tie  Loves  or  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

all  the  fair  beauty  of  the  morning  made  me  long 
to  be  outside,  and  at  the  last  stage  —  my  com- 
panion still  sleeping  —  I  got  out,  and  with  a 
shilling  to  the  coachman,  got  the  box  seat. 
There  were  only  two  or  three  persons,  besides 
the  guard,  on  the  coach. 

Once  up  there,  I  could  not  rest  satisfied  with- 
out handling  the  ribbons.  I  had  never  even 
driven  a  donkey  in  my  life,  but,  nevertheless, 
I  aspired  to  drive  four  fresh  roadsters.  The 
coachman,  a  good-natured,  foolish  fellow,  gave 
me  the  reins,  down  a  perfectly  smooth  lane. 
I  seized  the  whip,  too,  and  brought  it  down 
across  the  wheelers'  backs,  and,  the  next  thing 
I  knew,  the  coach  was  lying  on  its  side  on  the 
road,  and  I  was  on  the  ground. 

It  was  over  in  a  wink,  and  it  seemed  scarcely 
longer  before  it  had  been  righted;  for  the  load 
was  extremely  light,  and  no  one  was  hurt 
except  Giles.  He  scrambled  out  of  the  coach 
window,  his  arm  hanging  down,  not  broken,  but 
out  of  joint.  I  pointed  to  it. 

"  Your  sword  arm,"  I  said. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  make  for 
Portsmouth  as  fast  as  possible.  Giles  was  in 
35 


Tte  Loves  of  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

extreme  pain;  he  said  nothing,  but  great  drops 
came  out  upon  his  forehead.  When  we  reached 
the  town,  I  at  once  put  off  in  search  of  a  sur- 
geon, while  Giles  remained  at  the  inn.  I 
soon  fetched  the  surgeon,  who  got  the  arm  into 
place.  When  the  man  had  finished,  Giles  asked 
when  he  could  use  his  arm  for  pistol  shooting. 

"  In  a  week,  perhaps ;  possibly  not  for  two 
weeks."  And  the  surgeon  departed. 

As  soon  as  he  was  out  of  the  room,  Giles 
sent  for  pen  and  paper,  and  with  the  most 
painful  effort,  guiding  his  right  hand  by  his 
left,  managed  to  indite  the  following  epistle  to 
Captain  Overton: 

PHEENIX  INN,  PORTSMOUTH,  Friday. 
"DEAR  SIR: 

"  This  is  to  inform  you  that  I  met  with  a 
most  unfortnit  axerdent  while  coming  down  on 
the  coach.  My  friend  and  messmate,  the  infant 
admiral  which  you  saw  with  me,  had  read  the 
story  of  Gehu  in  the  Bible  or  Homar,  I  forget 
which,  and  aspired  to  drive  four  horses.  Which 
he  did,  with  the  result  that  my  right  arm  was 
rentched  out  of  place,  and  the  rascally  doctor 
who  sett  it  says  I  cannot  use  it  for  some  days. 
This  is  most  unfortnit,  as  it  delays  the  pleasure 
we  antissipatcd  in  our  meeting.  You  will  here 
from  me  as  soon  as  I  am  recovered.  The  only 

36 


TLc  Loves  of  tic  Lac^  Arabella 

thing  witch  disturbs  me  is  that  if  we  both  go  to 
Davy  Jones's,  twil  please  that  old  curmudgin, 
Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  bad  luck  to  him.  Believe 
me,  sir, 

"  Your  very  obliged,  and 
"  Most  obedient  servant, 

"  GILES  VERNON, 
«  Mid.  on  H.  M.  S.  A  jax." 

Giles  gave  me  this  to  read,  and  I  pointed  out 
several  mistakes  he  had  made  in  spelling,  al- 
though the  tone  of  the  letter  was  gentlemanlike, 
as  everything  was  that  Giles  did.  With  great 
vexation  and  some  difficulty,  he  added  a  post- 
script. 

"  P.  S. —  Please  excuse  speling  as  my  arm  is 
very  paneful.  G.  V." 

At  that  moment  a  marine  from  the  Ajax 
bounced,  breathless  and  in  great  excitement,  into 
the  room. 

"  We  are  to  sail  with  the  tide,  to-night,  sir !  " 
he  said.  "  The  admiral  passed  the  messenger 
on  the  road;  the  jib  is  loose,  and  the  blue  peter 
flying,"  —  and  out  he  ran,  to  notify  the  other 
absentees. 

Giles  seized  the  paper,  and  added  labori- 
ously : 

37 


"  P.  S.  No  2. —  I  am  just  enformed  that  the 
Blue  Peter  is  flying  from  the  Ajax,  and  that, 
my  dear  sir,  signifies  that  we  are  about  to  sail. 
Our  meeting  must  be  postponed,  for  god  knose 
when  we  will  eat  fresh  butter  again.  But  you 
shall  hear  from  me.  G.  V." 

And  that  night  we  sailed  with  the  tide. 


88 


m 

We  were  ordered  to  join  Sir  John  Jervis' 
fleet  in  the  Mediterranean  without  the  loss  of 
a  day,  and,  when  the  tide  served  at  nine  o'clock 
that  night,  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw  was  ready  for 
it.  The  officers,  who  knew  Sir  Peter's  capacity 
for  picking  up  his  anchors  at  short  notice,  were 
generally  prepared,  and  were  but  little  surprised 
at  the  sudden  departure  of  the  ship.  The  men, 
however,  are  never  prepared  to  go,  and  the  ship 
was  besieged,  from  the  time  she  showed  the  blue 
peter  until  she  set  her  topsails,  by  the  usual 
crowd  of  bumboat  women,  sailors'  wives,  tavern- 
keepers,  shop-dealers,  and  all  the  people  with 
whom  Jack  trades,  and  who  are  loath  to  part 
with  him  for  reasons  of  love  or  money.  Al- 
though all  of  the  stores  were  on  board,  there 
were  market  supplies  to  get,  and  the  midship- 
men were  in  the  boats  constantly  until  the  last 
boat  was  hoisted  in,  just  as  the  music  called  the 
men  to  the  capstan  bars.  It  was  a  brilliant 
moonlight  night,  a  good  breeze  was  blowing, 
39 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

and  the  Ajax  got  under  way  with  an  unusual 
spread  of  sail.  As  we  passed  out  the  narrow 
entrance  into  the  roads,  the  wind  freshened  and 
the  great  ship  took  her  majestic  way  through 
the  fleet,  a  mountain  of  canvas  showing  from 
rail  to  truck.  The  first  few  days  I  was  over- 
come, as  it  were,  with  my  new  life  and  its 
duties.  Two  other  midshipmen,  junior  to  my- 
self, had  joined,  so  I  was  no  longer  the  exclusive 
butt  of  the  cockpit.  We  spent  most  of  our 
spare  time  expressing  the  greatest  longing  for 
a  meeting  with  the  French,  although  for  my 
own  part,  even  while  I  was  bragging  the  most, 
I  felt  a  sickness  at  the  heart  when  I  imagined  a 
round  shot  entering  my  vitals.  Giles  Vernon 
was  still  the  dearest  object  of  my  admiration 
and  affections  —  always  excepting  that  divinely 
beautiful  Lady  Arabella.  But  this  was  rather 
the  admiration  of  a  glowworm  for  a  star.  I 
had  no  one  else  to  love  except  Giles,  and  even 
a  midshipman  must  love  something. 

I  did  not  much  trouble  myself  about  that 
meeting,  so  far  in  the  future,  between  Giles 
and  Overton.  Youth  has  no  future,  as  it  has 
no  past. 

40 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  Lacbr  Arabella 

Naturally,  I  did  not  see  much  of  my  great- 
uncle,  the  admiral.  He  was  a  very  strict  disci- 
plinarian, probably  because  he  was  used  to 
discipline  at  home,  and  busied  himself  more  with 
the  conduct  of  the  ship  than  the  captain  liked. 
The  other  midshipmen  alleged  that  there  was 
no  love  lost  between  Captain  Guilford  and  the 
admiral,  and  the  captain  had  been  heard  to 
say  that  having  an  admiral  on  board  was  like 
having  a  mother-in-law  in  the  house.  Never- 
theless, Sir  Peter  was  a  fine  seaman,  and  the 
gun-room  joke  was  that  he  knew  how  to  com- 
mand, from  having  learned  how  to  obey  under 
Lady  Hawkshaw's  iron  rule. 

One  day  the  admiral's  steward  brought  me 
a  message.  The  admiral's  compliments,  and 
would  I  dine  in  the  great  cabin  at  five  o'clock 
that  day? 

I  was  frightened  out  of  a  year's  growth  by 
the  invitation,  but  of  course  I  responded  that 
I  should  be  most  happy.  This,  like  my  pro- 
fessed anxiety  to  meet  the  French,  was  a  great 
lie.  At  five  o'clock  I  presented  myself,  trem- 
bling in  every  limb.  The  first  thing  I  noted  in 
the  cabin  was  a  large  portrait  of  Lady  Hawk- 
41 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

shaw  as  a  young  woman.  She  must  have  been 
very  handsome. 

Sir  Peter  gave  me  two  fingers,  and  turning 
to  the  steward,  said,  "  Soup." 

Soup  was  brought.  We  were  mostly  out  of 
fresh  vegetables  then,  and  it  was  pea-soup,  such 
as  we  had  in  the  cockpit.  Sir  Peter  grumbled 
a  little  at  it,  and  it  was  soon  removed  and  a 
leg  of  pork  brought  on;  a  pig  had  been  killed 
that  day. 

"Aha!"  sniffed  Sir  Peter  delightedly. 
"  This  is  fine.  Nephew,  you  have  no  pig  in 
the  gun-room  to-day." 

Which  was  true;  and  Sir  Peter  helped  me 
liberally,  and  proceeded  to  do  the  same  by 
himself.  The  steward,  however,  said  respect- 
fully,— 

"  Excuse  me,  Sir  Peter,  but  in  the  interview 
I  had  the  honor  to  have  with  Lady  Hawkshaw 
before  sailing,  sir,  she  particularly  desired  me  to 
request  you  not  to  eat  pork,  as  it  always  dis- 
agreed with  you." 

"  Wh-wh-what !  "   roared   Sir  Peter. 

"  I  am  only  repeating  Lady  Hawkshaw's  mes- 
sage, sir,"  humbly  responded  the  man;  but  I 
42 


thought  I  saw,  under  all  his  humility,  a  sly 
kind  of  defiance.  Sir  Peter  had  no  fear  of 
either  round,  grape,  or  double-headed  shot,  and 
was  indifferent  to  musketry  fire.  Likewise,  it 
was  commonly  said  of  him  in  the  service  that 
if  he  were  ordered  to  attack  hell  itself,  he  would 
stand  on  until  his  jib  caught  fire;  but  neither 
time  nor  distance  weakened  the  authority  over 
him  of  Lady  Hawkshaw. 

Sir  Peter  glared  at  the  steward  and  then  at 
the  leg  of  pork,  and,  suddenly  jumping  up, 
seized  the  dish  and  threw  it,  pork  and  all,  out  of 
the  stern  window.  As  I  had  secured  my  por- 
tion, I  could  view  this  with  equanimity. 

The  next  dish  was  spareribs.  The  steward 
said  nothing,  but  Sir  Peter  let  it  pass  with  a 
groan.  It  seemed  to  me  that  everything  appe- 
tizing in  the  dinner  was  passed  by  Sir  Peter, 
in  response  to  a  peculiar  kind  of  warning  glance 
from  the  steward.  This  man,  I  heard  after- 
ward, had  sailed  with  him  many  years,  and  was 
understood  to  be  an  emissary  of  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw's. 

We  had,  besides  the  pea-soup  and  roast  pork, 
spareribs,  potatoes,  turnips,  anchovy  with  sauce, 
43 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

and  a  custard.  Sir  Peter,  however,  dined  off 
pea-soup  and  potatoes;  but  I  observed  that  he 
was  his  own  master  as  far  as  the  decanters  were 
concerned,  and  it  occurred  to  me  that  he  had 
made  a  trade  with  the  steward,  by  which  he 
was  allowed  this  indulgence,  as  I  noticed  the 
man  turned  his  back  every  time  Sir  Peter  filled 
his  glass. 

Dinner  being  over,  the  cloth  removed,  and 
the  steward  gone,  Sir  Peter  appeared  to  be  in 
a  somewhat  better  humor.  His  first  remark 
was, — 

"  So  you  are  fond  of  the  play,  sir  ?  " 

I  replied  that  I  had  been  but  once. 

"  The  time  you  went  with  Giles  Vernon.  If 
the  coach  had  broken  down  between  London  and 
Portsmouth,  we  should  have  sailed  without 
either  one  of  you." 

I  did  not  mention  that  the  coach  had  upset, 
but  merely  said  that  we  thought  there  was  no 
danger  of  any  detention,  and  that  Giles  Vernon 
was  in  no  way  responsible  for  my  going  to 
London,  as  he  knew  nothing  about  it  until  we 
met  at  the  coach  door. 

I  was  revolving  in  my  mind  whether  I  could 
44 


He  turned  his  back  every  time  Sir  Peter  filled  his  glass.     Page  44 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacy  Arabella 

venture  to  ask  of  the  welfare  of  the  divine  Ara- 
bella, and  suddenly  a  direct  inspiration  came  to 
me.  I  remarked  —  with  blushes  and  tremors,  I 
must  admit, — 

"  How  very  like  Lady  Arabella  Stormont 
must  Lady  Hawkshaw  have  been  at  her  age! 
And  Lady  Arabella  is  a  very  beautiful  young 
lady." 

Sir  Peter  grinned  like  a  rat-trap  at  this 
awkward  compliment,  and  remarked, — 

"  Yes,  yes,  Arabella  is  like  my  lady,  except 
not  half  so  handsome.  Egad,  when  I  married 
Lady  Hawkshaw,  I  had  to  cut  my  way,  literally 
with  my  sword,  through  the  body-guard  of 
gentlemen  who  wanted  her.  And  as  for  her 
relations  —  well,  she  defied  'em,  that's  all." 

I  tried,  with  all  the  little  art  I  possessed,  to 
get  some  information  concerning  Arabella  out 
of  Sir  Peter;  but  beyond  telling  me  what  I 
knew  before, —  that  she  was  his  great-niece  on 
the  other  side  of  the  house  and  first  cousin  to 
Daphne,  and  that  her  father,  now  dead,  was  a 
scamp  and  a  pauper,  in  spite  of  being  an  earl, 
—  he  told  me  nothing.  But  even  that  seemed 
to  show  the  great  gulf  between  us.  Would  she, 
45 


TLe.  Loves  or  tie  Law  Arabella 

with  her  beauty  and  her  title,  condescend  to  a 
midshipman  somewhat  younger  than  herself, 
and  penniless?  I  doubted  it,  though  I  was,  in 
general,  of  a  sanguine  nature. 

I  found  Sir  Peter  unbent  as  the  decanters 
grew  empty,  although  I  would  not  for  a  mo- 
ment imply  that  he  was  excessive  in  his  drink- 
ing. Only,  the  mellow  glow  which  pervades  an 
English  gentleman  after  a  few  glasses  of  good 
port  enveloped  him.  He  asked  me  if  I  was 
glad  I  had  joined  the  service, —  to  which  I  could 
say  yes  with  great  sincerity ;  impressed  upon  me 
my  good  fortune  in  getting  in  a  ship  of  the  line 
in  the  beginning,  and  gave  me  some  admirable 
advice.  I  left  him  with  a  feeling  that  I  had  a 
friend  in  that  excellent  seaman,  honest  gentle- 
man, and  odd  fish,  Admiral  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw. 

When  I  went  below,  I  told  my  messmates 
all  that  had  occurred,  rather  exaggerating  Sir 
Peter's  attentions  to  me,  as  midshipmen  will. 
Then  privately  I  confided  to  Giles  Vernon.  I 
told  what  little  I  had  found  out  concerning  the 
star  of  my  soul,  as  I  called  Arabella,  to  which 
Giles  responded  by  a  long-drawn-out  "  Ph-ew !  " 

I  implored  him,  if  he  knew  any  officer  in  the 
46 


Tic  Loves  of  tLc  Lac^  Arabella 

ship  who  would  be  likely  to  be  acquainted  with 
Lady  Arabella,  to  pump  him  for  me.  This  he 
promised;  and  the  very  next  day,  as  I  sat  on  a 
locker,  studying  my  theorems,  Giles  came  up. 

"  Dicky,"  said  he,  "  Mr.  Buxton  knows  the 
divine  Arabella.  She  has  a  fortune  of  thirty 
thousand  pounds,  and  so  has  the  dove-eyed  little 
Daphne,  all  inherited  from  their  granddad,  a 
rich  Bombay  merchant.  It  seems  that  Lady 
Arabella's  mother  bought  a  coronet  with  her 
money,  and  it  turned  out  a  poor  bargain. 
However,  the  earl  did  not  live  long  enough  to 
ruin  his  father-in-law;  and  little  Daphne's  par- 
ents, too,  died  young,  so  the  old  Bombay  man 
left  the  girls  his  fortune,  and  made  Sir  Peter 
their  guardian,  and  that  means,  of  course,  that 
Polly  Hawkshaw  is  their  guardian.  Mr.  Bux- 
ton says  he  would  like  to  see  the  fortune-hunter 
who  can  rob  Polly  of  those  two  damsels.  For 
Polly  says  rank  and  lineage  are  not  everything. 
She  herself,  you  know,  dates  back  to  the  Saxon 
Heptarchy,  though  she  did  marry  the  son  of 
your  drysalting  great-grandfather.  And  she 
wants  those  girls  to  marry  men;  and  what  Polly 
says  on  that  score  is  to  be  respected,  considering 
47 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Laclyr  Arabella 

that  she  married  into  a  drysalting  family  to 
please  herself,  or  to  displease  her  relations,  I 
don't  know  which.  I  should  say,  though,  if 
you  are  honest  and  deserving,  and  mind  your 
book,  and  get  a  good  word  from  the  chaplain, 
you  will  probably  one  day  be  the  husband  of 
little  Daphne,  but  not  of  Lady  Arabella;  no 
man  shall  marry  her  while  I  live,  that  you  may 
be  sure  of;  but  when  I  marry  her,  you  may  be 
side-boy  at  my  wedding." 

I  thought  this  speech  very  cruel  of  Giles 
Vernon,  and  believed  that  he  did  not  know  what 
true  love  was,  else  he  could  not  so  trifle  with 
my  feelings,  although  there  was  an  echo  of 
earnestness  in  his  intimation  that  he  would  kill 
any  man  who  aspired  to  marry  Lady  Arabella. 

We  were  three  weeks  in  the  Bay  of  Biscay, 
thrashing  to  windward  under  topgallant-sails, 
and  expecting  daily  and  hourly  to  run  across  a 
Frenchman.  We  were  hoping  for  it,  because 
we  found  the  Ajax  to  be  a  very  weatherly 
ship  and  fast  for  her  class;  and  both  Captain 
Guilford  and  Sir  Peter,  who  had  sailed  in  her 
before,  knew  exactly  how  to  handle  her.  And 
we  were  to  have  our  wish.  For,  one  evening 
48 


TLc  Loves  of  tic  Lad/  Arabella 

toward  sunset,  we  sighted  a  French  ship  of  the 
line  off  our  beam ;  and  by  the  time  we  had  made 
her  out,  a  light  French  frigate  was  coming 
down  the  wind,  and  in  an  hour  we  were  at  it 
hammer  and  tongs  with  both  of  them. 

The  Frenchmen  thought  they  had  us.  We 
heard  afterward  that  a  prize  crew  was  already 
told  off  to  take  us  into  Corunna,  but  no  man  or 
boy  on  the  A  jax  dreamed  of  giving  up  the  ship. 

The  Ajax  was  cleared  for  action  in  eleven 
minutes;  and,  with  four  ensigns  flying,  we 
headed  for  the  ship  of  the  line,  which  was  wait- 
ing for  us,  with  her  topsails  shivering.  The 
Ajax  had  been  lately  coppered,  and,  with  all 
sail  to  royals  set,  legged  it  at  a  lively  gait,  in 
spite  of  the  heavy  sea,  which  occasionally  caused 
our  lower-deck  guns  to  roll  their  noses  in  the 
water.  As  we  wallowed  toward  the  ship  of  the 
line,  which  was  the  Indomptable,  the  frigate, 
the  Xantippe,  was  maneuvering  for  a  position 
on  our  starboard  quarter  to  rake  us.  Seeing 
this,  the  Ajax  came  up  a  little  into  the  wind, 
which  brought  our  broadside  to  bear  directly  on 
the  Xantippe,  and  she  hedged  off  a  little. 

The  steadiness,  coolness,  and  precision  with 
49 


The  Loves  of  tLe  Laqy  Arabella 

which  the  ship  was  handled  astonished  my  young 
mind.  I  knew  very  well  that  if  we  were  de- 
feated, Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw  would  stand  no 
show  of  leniency,  for  there  was  no  doubt  that, 
owing  to  our  new  copper,  we  could  easily  have 
outsailed  the  Frenchmen;  but  Sir  Peter  pre- 
ferred to  outfight  them,  even  against  desperate 
odds. 

The  officers  and  men  had  entire  confidence  in 
Sir  Peter  and  in  the  ship,  and  went  into  action 
with  the  heartiest  good-will  imaginable.  The 
people  were  amused  by  two  powder  monkeys 
coming  to  blows  in  the  magazine  passage  over 
which  one  would  be  entitled  to  the  larger  share 
of  prize-money.  The  gaiety  of  the  men  was 
contagious.  Every  man's  face  wore  a  grin ;  and 
when  the  word  was  given  to  take  in  the  royals, 
and  send  down  the  yards,  furl  all  staysails  and 
the  flying  jib,  they  literally  rushed  into  the 
rigging  with  an  "  Aye,  aye,  sir,"  that  seemed 
to  shake  the  deck. 

The  admiral,  who  had  been  on  the  bridge, 

left  it  and  went  below.     Presently  he  came  up. 

He  was  in  his  best  uniform,  with  a  gold-hilted 

sword,  his  order  of  the  Bath  on  his  breast,  and 

50 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacjy  Arabella 

he  wore  a  cocked  hat.  As  he  passed  me,  Mr. 
Buxton,  who  was  stepping  along  briskly,  said, — 

"  Pardon  me,  Sir  Peter,  but  a  French  musket 
wants  no  better  target  than  a  cocked  hat." 

"  Sir,"  replied  Sir  Peter,  "  I  have  always 
fought  in  a  cocked  hat  and  silk  stockings,  as 
becomes  a  gentleman;  and  I  shall  always  fight 
in  a  cocked  hat  and  silk  stockings,  damme ! " 

Mr.  Buxton  passed  on,  laughing. 

Now,  I  had  taken  the  opportunity,  after  we 
had  sighted  the  Frenchman,  to  run  below  and 
put  on  my  newest  uniform,  with  silk  stockings, 
and  to  get  out  several  cambric  pocket  handker- 
chiefs; and  I  had  also  scented  myself  liberally 
with  some  attar  of  rose,  which  I  had  bought  in 
Portsmouth.  Sir  Peter,  putting  his  fingers  to 
his  nose,  sniffed  the  attar  of  rose,  and,  speedily 
identifying  me,  he  surveyed  me  calmly  all  over, 
while  I  blushed  and  found  myself  unable  to 
stand  still  under  his  searching  gaze.  When  he 
spoke,  however,  it  was  in  words  of  praise. 

"  Nephew,  you  have  the  right  idea.  It  is  a 
Holiday  when  we  meet  the  enemy,  and  officers 
should  dress  accordingly." 

Mr.  Buxton,  who  was  standing  near,  sneaked 
51 


Tie  Loves  of  tie  La<ir  Arabella 

off  a  little.  He  had  on  an  old  coat,  such  as  I 
had  never  seen  him  wear,  and  had  removed  his 
stock  and  tied  a  red  silk  handkerchief  around 
his  neck.  He  certainly  did  not  look  quite  the 
gentleman.  The  Indomptable,  being  then  about 
half  a  mile  distant,  bore  up  and  fired  a  shot  to 
windward,  which  was  an  invitation  to  come  on 
and  take  a  licking  or  give  one.  The  Ajax  was 
not  misled  into  the  rashness  of  coming  on,  with 
the  Xantippe  hanging  on  her  quarter,  but,  luf- 
fing up  suddenly, —  for  she  answered  her  helm 
beautifully, —  she  brought  the  frigate  directly 
under  her  guns;  and  that  fetched  the  Indomp- 
table as  fast  as  she  could  trot.  The  Ajax 
opened  the  ball  with  one  of  her  long  twenty- 
fours,  Sir  Peter  himself  sighting  and  pointing 
the  gun;  and  immediately  after  the  whole 
broadside  roared  out.  Had  it  struck  the  frig- 
ate full,  it  would  have  sent  her  to  the  bottom; 
but  by  hauling  quickly  by  the  wind,  she  only 
received  about  half  the  discharge.  That,  how- 
ever, was  terrible.  Her  mizzenmast  was  cut  off, 
and  hung  over  her  side  in  a  mass  of  torn  rig- 
ging; her  mainmast  was  wounded;  and  it  was 
plain  that  our  broadside  had  killed  and  wounded 
52 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

many  men,  and  had  dismounted  several  guns. 
Her  wheel,  however,  was  uninjured,  and  in  an 
inconceivably  short  time  the  wreck  of  the  mast 
had  been  cut  away ;  and  wearing,  with  the  wind 
in  her  favor,  she  got  into  a  raking  position  on 
our  port  quarter,  and  gave  us  a  broadside  that 
raked  us  from  stern  to  stem. 

The  savage  which  dwells  in  man  had  made  me 
perfectly  indifferent  to  the  loss  of  life  on  the 
French  ship;  but  when  a  man  dropped  dead  at 
my  side,  I  fell  into  a  passion  of  rage,  and,  I 
must  honestly  admit,  of  fear.  My  station  was 
amidships,  and  I  recalled,  with  a  dreadful  sink- 
ing of  the  heart,  that  it  was  commonly  known 
as  the  slaughter-house,  from  the  execution  gen- 
erally done  there. 

I  looked  down  and  saw  the  man's  blood  soak- 
ing into  the  sand,  with  which  the  deck  was 
plentifully  strewed,  and  I,  Richard  Glyn,  longed 
to  desert  my  station  and  run  below.  But  as  I 
turned,  I  caught  sight  of  Giles  Vernon,  a  little 
distance  away  from  me.  He  was  smiling  and 
waving  his  hat,  and  he  cried  out, — 

"  See,  boys !  the  big  'un  is  coming  to  take  her 
punishment !     Huzza !  " 
53 


The  Indomptable  had  then  approached  to 
within  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  as  a  heavy 
sea  was  kicked  up  by  the  wind,  and  all  three 
of  the  ships  were  rolling  extremely,  she  luffed 
up  to  deliver  her  broadside ;  and  at  that  moment 
three  thundering  cheers  broke  from  the  nine 
hundred  throats  on  the  Ajax,  and  they  were  in- 
stantly answered  by  a  cheer  as  great  from  the 
Frenchman.  Owing  to  the  sharp  roll,  most  of 
the  French  shot  went  a  little  too  high,  just 
above  the  heads  of  the  marines,  who  were  drawn 
up  in  the  waist  of  the  ship.  My  paroxysm  of 
fear  still  held  me,  but  when  I  saw  these  men, 
with  the  one  proud  word  "  Gibraltar "  written 
on  their  hats,  standing  steadily,  as  if  at  parade, 
in  the  midst  of  the  hurricane  of  fire,  the  men 
as  cool  as  their  officers,  shame  seized  me  for 
my  cowardice;  from  that  on,  I  gradually  mas- 
tered my  alarms.  I  here  mention  a  strange 
thing:  as  long  as  I  was  a  coward  at  heart,  I 
was  also  a  villain;  for  if  one  single  shot  could 
have  sent  the  Frenchman's  body  to  the  sea  and 
his  soul  to  hell,  I  would  have  fired  that  shot. 
But  when  I  was  released  from  the  nightmare 
of  fear,  a  feeling  of  mercy  stole  into  my  soul. 
54 


The.  Loves  of  tie  Lacy  Arabella 

I  began  to  feel  for  our  brave  enemy  and  to  wish 
that  we  might  capture  him  with  as  little  loss  as 
possible. 

The  cannonade  now  increased;  but  the  wind, 
which  is  usually  deadened,  continued  to  rise, 
and  both  the  heavy  ships  were  almost  rolling 
their  yard-arms  in  the  water.  The  Indomp- 
table's  fire  was  exceedingly  steady,  but  not  well 
directed,  while,  after  ten  minutes  of  a  close  fire, 
it  was  seen  that  we  were  fast  shooting  her  spars 
out  of  her.  The  frigate,  much  disabled  by  the 
loss  of  her  mast,  had  fallen  off  to  leeward,  and 
never  got  close  enough  again  to  be  of  any  as- 
sistance to  her  consort. 

The  Ajax's  people  began  to  clamor  to  get 
alongside,  and  alongside  we  got.  As  we  neared 
the  Indomptable,  occasionally  yawing  to  prevent 
being  raked,  his  metal  began  to  tell,  and  we 
were  much  cut  up  aloft,  besides  having  been 
hulled  repeatedly;  but  we  came  on  steadily. 
The  man  at  the  wheel  had  nearly  all  his  clothes 
torn  off  him  by  a  splinter,  but  with  the  spirit  of 
a  true  seaman,  he  stood  at  his  post  unflinchingly, 
never  letting  go  of  the  spokes  for  one  moment. 
When  we  were  within  a  couple  of  pistol-shot,  the 
55 


Frenchman  opened  a  smart  musketry  fire.  Sir 
Peter  had  left  the  bridge  for  a  moment  and  was 
crossing  the  deck,  when  a  ball  went  through  his 
hat,  knocking  it  off  and  tearing  it  to  pieces. 
He  stooped  down,  picked  it  up,  and  then  called 
out  to  a  powder  boy  who  was  passing. 

"  Go  to  my  cabin,  and  in  the  upper  drawer 
of  the  locker  to  the  left  of  my  bed-place,  you 
will  see  two  cocked  hats;  bring  me  the  newest 
one.  Hanged  if  I'll  not  wear  a  decent  hat,  in 
spite  of  the  Frenchman !  " 

And  this  man  was  ruled  by  his  wife! 

We  hove  to  about  a  cable's  length  from  the 
Frenchman,  and  then  the  fight  began  in  ear- 
nest. We  were  so  near  that  every  shot  told. 
The  Frenchman  made  great  play  with  his  main- 
deck  battery,  and  our  sails  and  rigging  soon 
were  so  cut  up,  that  when  we  came  foul,  a  few 
minutes  later,  we  were  jammed  fast;  but  nobody 
on  either  ship  wished  it  otherwise.  The  French- 
man's main-yard  swung  directly  over  our  poop, 
and  Captain  Guilford  himself  made  it  fast  to 
our  mizzen  rigging.  The  Frenchman,  however, 
was  not  yet  beaten  at  the  guns,  and  the  firing 
was  so  heavy  on  both  sides  that  a  pall  of  smoke 
56 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

enveloped  both  ships.  This  was  to  our  advan- 
tage, for  the  frigate,  having  got  some  sail  on 
the  stump  of  her  mizzenmast,  now  approached; 
but  the  wind  drifted  the  smoke  so  between  her 
and  the  two  fighting  ships,  that  she  could  not  in 
the  dim  twilight  plainly  discern  friend  from  foe, 
especially  as  both  were  painted  black,  and  we 
swung  together  with  the  sea  and  wind.  When 
the  smoke  drifted  off,  the  gallant  but  unfortu- 
nate Xantippe  found  herself  directly  under  our 
broadside.  We  gave  her  one  round  from  our 
main  battery,  and  she  troubled  us  no  more. 

Of  my  own  feelings,  I  can  only  say  that  I 
welcomed  the  return  of  my  courage  so  raptur- 
ously, I  felt  capable  of  heroic  things.  Occa- 
sionally I  recognized  Sir  Peter  as  he  flitted 
past;  he  seemed  everywhere  at  once,  and  I  per- 
ceived that  although  Captain  Guilford  was  tech- 
nically fighting  the  ship,  Sir  Peter  was  by  no 
means  an  idle  spectator.  My  gun  was  on  the 
engaged  side  all  the  time,  and  several  of  the 
guns  on  that  side  became  disabled,  and  officers 
were  wounded  or  killed;  it  brought  Giles  Ver- 
non  quite  close  to  me.  Through  the  smoke  and 
the  fast-falling  darkness,  lighted  only  by  the 
57 


Tie,  Loves  of  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

red  flash  of  the  guns  and  the  glare  of  the  battle 
lanterns,  I  could  see  his  face.  He  never  lost  his 
smile,  and  his  ringing  voice  always  led  the 
cheering. 

Presently,  the  Frenchman's  fire  slackened, 
and  then  a  dull,  rumbling  sound  was  heard  in 
the  depths  of  the  Indomptable,  followed  by  a 
roar  and  streams  of  light  from  the  fore-hatch. 
The  forward  magazine  had  exploded,  and  it 
seemed  in  the  awful  crash  and  blaze  as  if  all 
the  masts  and  spars  went  skyward,  with  the 
rags  of  the  sails ;  and  a  solemn  hush  and  silence 
followed  the  explosion. 

In  another  instant  I  heard  Sir  Peter's  sharp 
voice  shouting, — 

"  Call  all  hands  to  board !  Boatswain,  cheer 
the  men  up  with  the  pipe ! " 

And  then  the  clear  notes  of  the  boatswain's 
pipe  floated  out  into  the  darkness,  and  with  a 
yell  the  men  gathered  at  the  bulwarks.  On  the 
French  ship  they  appeared  to  be  dazed  by  the 
explosion,  and  we  could  see  only  a  few  officers 
running  about  and  trying  to  collect  the  men. 

In  another  instant  I  saw  Mr.  Buxton  leap 
upon  the  hammock-netting,  and  about  to  spring, 
58 


TLc  Loves  or  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

when  a  figure  behind  him  seized  him  by  the  coat- 
tails,  and,  dragging  him  backward,  he  meas- 
ured his  length  on  the  deck.  The  figure  was 
Giles  Vernon. 

"  After  me,"  he  cried  to  the  first  lieutenant ; 
and  the  next  moment  he  made  his  spring,  and 
landed,  the  first  man  on  the  Indomptable's  deck. 

As  soon  as  the  ship  was  given  up,  we  hauled 
up  our  courses  and  ran  off  a  little,  rove  new 
braces,  and  made  ready  to  capture  the  frigate, 
which,  although  badly  cut  up,  showed  no  dispo- 
sition to  surrender,  and  stood  gallantly  by  her 
consort.  In  half  an  hour  we  were  ready  to  go 
into  action  again,  if  necessary,  with  another 
ship  of  the  line. 

We  got  within  range, —  the  sea  had  gone 
down  much, —  and  giving  the  Xantippe  our 
broadside,  brought  down  the  tricolor  which  the 
Frenchmen  had  nailed  to  the  stump  of  the  miz- 
zenmast.  She  proved  to  have  on  board  near  a 
million  sterling,  which,  with  the  Indomptable, 
was  the  richest  prize  taken  in  for  years  preced- 
ing. 

The  admiral  and  captain  got  eleven  thousand 
pounds  sterling  each.  The  senior  officers  re- 
59 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacb  Arabella 

ceived  two  thousand  five  hundred  pounds  ster- 
ling each.  The  juniors  got  two  thousand 
pounds  sterling,  the  midshipmen  and  petty 
officers  one  thousand  five  hundred  pounds  ster- 
ling, and  every  seaman  got  seven  hundred 
pounds  sterling,  and  the  landsmen  and  boys 
four  hundred  pounds  sterling  in  prize-money. 
And  I  say  it  with  diffidence,  we  got  much  more 
in  glory ;  for  the  two  French  ships  were  not  only 
beaten,  but  beaten  in  the  most  seamanlike  man- 
ner. Sir  Peter  ever  after  kept  the  anniversary 
as  his  day  of  glory,  putting  on  the  same  uni- 
form and  cocked  hat  he  had  worn,  and  going  to 
church,  if  on  shore,  with  Lady  Hawkshaw  on 
his  arm,  and  giving  thanks  in  a  loud  voice. 


60 


IV 

We  took  the  Xantippe  home  —  the  Indomp- 
table  went  to  the  bottom  of  the  Bay  of  Biscay 
—  but  before  our  prize-money  was  settled  up, 
we  were  off  again ;  Sir  Peter  dearly  loved  cruis- 
ing in  blue  water.  It  was  near  two  years  before 
we  got  back  to  England  to  spend  that  prize- 
money;  for,  except  the  captain  and  Mr.  Buxton 
and  some  of  the  married  officers,  I  know  of  no 
one  who  saved  any.  Sir  Peter,  I  understood 
afterward,  spent  much  of  his  in  a  diamond  neck- 
lace and  tiara  for  Lady  Hawkshaw,  in  which  he 
was  most  egregiously  cheated  by  a  Portuguese 
money-lender,  and  the  balance  he  put  into  a 
scheme  for  acclimating  elephants  in  England, 
which  was  to  make  him  as  rich  as  Croesus;  but 
he  lost  a  thousand  pounds  on  the  venture,  be- 
sides his  prize-money.  In  those  two  years  I 
grew  more  and  more  fond  of  Giles  Vernon.  We 
generally  contrived  to  have  our  watch  together, 
and  we  were  intimate  as  only  shipmates  could 
be.  He  talked  much  of  what  he  meant  to  do 
61 


when  he  got  ashore  with  money  to  spend,  and 
assured  me  he  had  never  had  above  twenty 
pounds  of  his  own  in  his  life.  In  the  course  of 
many  nights  spent  in  standing  watch  together, 
when  the  old  Ajax  was  sailing  like  a  witch, — 
for  she  was  a  capital  sailer  at  that  time, —  he 
told  me  much  about  his  early  youth,  and  I  con- 
fided to  him  the  story  of  Betty  Green.  Giles' 
career  had  been  the  common  one  of  the  younger 
branches  of  a  good  family.  His  father  had 
been  a  clergyman,  and,  dying,  left  several 
daughters,  who  married  respectably,  and  this 
one  son,  who  was  put  in  the  sea-service  very 
young.  At  that  time,  several  lives  stood  be- 
tween Giles  and  the  title  and  estates  of  Sir 
Thomas  Vernon,  and  other  lives  stood  between 
Giles  and  Overt  on;  but  those  had  passed  away, 
leaving  these  two  distant  kinsmen  as  heirs  to  a 
man  that  seemed  rightfully  to  have  earned  his 
title  of  "wicked  Sir  Thomas."  I  asked  Giles 
if  he  knew  why  Sir  Thomas,  who  so  cordially 
hated  his  heirs,  had  never  married.  Giles  re- 
plied that  Sir  Thomas  showed  no  inclination  to 
marry  until  he  was  near  forty.  Then  his  repu- 
tation was  so  well  established  that  he  was  gen- 
62 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lacy  Arabella 

erally  looked  askant  upon;  his  character  for 
truth  was  bad  and  at  cards  was  worse.  But  he 
had  induced  a  lady  of  rank  and  wealth  to  be- 
come engaged  to  be  married  to  hihi.  His  treat- 
ment of  her  was  so  infamous  that  her  whole 
family  had  declared  war  against  him,  and  had 
succeeded  in  breaking  off  several  very  desirable 
alliances  he  would  have  liked  to  make.  Of 
course  a  man  of  his  rank  and  wealth  could  find 
some  woman  —  alas !  —  to  take  him ;  but  Sir 
Thomas  was  bent  on  money,  with  an  inclination 
toward  rank,  and  was  the  last  man  on  earth  to 
marry  unless  he  had  a  substantial  inducement; 
and  several  more  years  had  passed  without  his 
being  able  to  effect  the  sort  of  marriage  he  de- 
sired. Meanwhile,  his  health  had  broken  down, 
and  he  was  now  a  shattered  man  and  prey  for 
the  doctors.  All  this  was  very  interesting  to 
me,  especially  as  Sir  Thomas'  two  heirs  would 
one  day  have  the  experience  of  shooting  at  each 
other,  and  possibly  deciding  the  matter  of 
heirship  by  the  elimination  of  one  or  the  other 
from  the  question. 

We  both  got  promotion,  of  course,  and  that 
brought  us  into  the  gun-room;  but  we  were  as 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

intimate  there  as  in  our  reefer  days  in  the  cock- 
pit. On  a  glorious  October  morning  in  1799, 
our  anchor  kissed  the  ground  in  Portsmouth 
harbor. 

When  we  reached  Portsmouth,  the  news  of 
our  good  fortune  had  preceded  us,  and  we  were 
welcomed  with  open  arms  by  men,  women,  and 
children  —  especially  the  women.  All  the 
prize-money  brought  back  by  any  single  ship 
during  the  war  was  insignificant  compared  with 
ours.  The  men  were  seized  with  a  kind  of 
madness  for  spending  their  money.  The  spec- 
tacle of  an  ordinary  seaman  parading  the  streets 
of  Portsmouth  with  a  gold-laced  hat,  a  gold- 
headed  stick,  and  watches  and  jewelry  hung 
all  over  him  was  common  enough,  and  he  was 
sure  to  be  an  Ajax  man.  Sad  to  say,  the  pimps, 
and  the  worst  class  of  men  and  women  soon  got 
the  money  away  from  our  poor  fellows. 

The  officers,  in  their  way,  were  but  little  be- 
hind the  men  in  their  lavishness.  Champagne 
was  their  common  drink,  and  several  of  them 
invested  in  coaches !  —  the  last  thing  they  would 
ever  have  a  chance  of  using. 

Giles  Vernon,  although  the  most  wasteful  and 
64 


Tne  Loves  of  toe  Laqy  AraDclla 

profuse  man  I  ever  saw,  desired  to  spend  his 
money  in  London,  Portsmouth  being  too  small 
a  theater  for  him.  But  the  pressing  affair  of 
the  satisfaction  he  owed  Captain  Overton  had  to 
be  settled.  After  much  hard  thinking,  Giles 
came  to  me  on  the  day  after  we  reached  Ports- 
mouth, and  said, — 

"  Dicky  boy,  read  this  letter  and  give  me 
your  opinion  of  it." 

This  was  the  letter, — 

"  H.M.S.  Ajax,  May  17,  1799. 

"  CAPTAIN  PHILIP  OVERTON  : 

"  Dear  Sir. —  This  is  to  inform  you  that  I 
have  reached  Portsmouth,  after  a  very  success- 
ful cruise  in  the  Ajax,  when  we  took  the  In- 
domptable  and  the  Xantippe  and  a  large  sum 
in  specie.  My  shair  is  considerable  —  more 
money  in  short  than  I  ever  saw,  much  less  han- 
dled, in  my  life.  I  would  like  a  month  in  Lon- 
don to  spend  this  money  before  offering  my 
carkass  to  be  made  full  of  holes  by  you.  Dear 
sir,  consider.  If  I  escape  your  marksmanship, 
the  month  more  or  less  will  be  of  little  account ; 
and  if  I  fall,  I  shall  miss  the  finest  chance  of 
seeing  the  world  I  ever  had  in  my  life.  I  think, 
sir,  with  difidence  I  say  it,  that  my  record  in  the 
Ajax  is  enough  to  make  plain  I  am  not  shurk- 
ine  the  satisfaction  I  owe  you,  but  I  would  take 
it  as  a  personal  favor  if  you  would  put  it  off 
65  * 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  La4/  Arabella 

to  this  day  month,  when  I  will  be  in  London. 
And  as  I  shall  eat  and  drink  of  the  best,  'tis  ten 
to  one  I  will  be  much  fater  and  therefore  be  a 
much  better  mark  for  you.     I  am,  dear  sir, 
"  Your  obliged  and 

"  Obedient  servant, 

"  GILES   VERNON." 

I  pointed  out  to  Giles  that,  although  the  tone 
of  the  letter  was  quite  correct,  the  writing  and 
spelling  were  scarce  up  to  the  standard  —  I  was 
more  bookish  than  Giles.  But  he  replied  with 
some  heat, — 

"  Who,  while  reading  the  communication  of  a 
gentleman,  will  be  so  base  as  to  sneer  at  the 
grammar  or  spelling  ?  "  So  the  letter  went  as  it 
was,  and  in  reply  came  a  very  handsome,  well- 
expressed  letter  from  Captain  Overton,  not  only 
agreeing  to  postpone  it  a  month,  but  for  six 
weeks,  which  pleased  Giles  mightily.  I  wish  to 
say,  although  Giles  was  inexpert  with  the  pen, 
he  had  no  lack  of  either  polish  or  ideas,  and  was 
as  fine  an  officer  as  ever  walked  the  deck. 

The  matter  with  Overton  finally  settled,  and 

the  ship  being  paid  off,  Giles  and  I  started  for 

London,  as  happy  as  two  youngsters  could  be, 

with  liberty  and  two  thousand  pounds  apiece  to 

66 


TLc  Loves  or  toe  Lacly  Arabella 

spend,  for  I  acknowledge  that  I  had  no  more 
thought  of  saving  than  Giles.  We  took  a  chaise 
and  four  to  London  —  no  stage-coach  for  us ! 
—  and  reached  there  in  a  day.  We  had 
planned  to  take  the  finest  rooms  at  Mivart's 
Hotel,  but  fate  and  Lady  Hawkshaw  prevented 
me  from  enjoying  them  except  for  the  first 
night  of  our  arrival.  Next  morning  on  pre- 
senting myself  at  the  Admiralty  to  ask  for 
letters, —  never  dreaming  I  should  have  any, — 
I  received  one  from  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw,  which 
read, — 

"  GRAND-NEPHEW. —  My  Lady  Hawkshaw 
desires  that  you  will  come  and  bring  your 
money  with  you  to  our  house  in  Berkeley 
Square,  and  remain  there. 

"  Yours,  etc., 

"  P.  HAWKSHAW,  C.B." 

Great  was  my  distress  when  I  got  this  letter, 
as  I  foresaw  there  would  not  be  much  chance 
under  Lady  Hawkshaw's  eagle  eye  of  seeing  the 
kind  of  life  I  wished  to  see.  And  I  was  obliged 
to  go,  for  Sir  Peter  was  the  only  person  on 
earth  likely  to  interest  himself  at  the  Admiralty 
for  me;  and  I  might  stay  and  wither  on  shore 
67 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  La<ir  Arabella 

while  others  more  fortunate  got  ships,  if  I  an- 
tagonized him.  And  when  Lady  Hawkshaw 
commanded,  there  was  but  one  thing  to  do,  and 
that  was  to  obey. 

So,  with  a  heavy  heart,  I  took  myself  and  my 
portmanteau  and,  in  a  canvas  bag,  my  two  thou- 
sand guineas  to  the  admiral's  great  fine  house  in 
Berkeley  Square.  My  parting  with  Giles  was 
melancholy  enough;  for,  with  the  womanish 
jealousy  of  a  boy,  I  was  unhappy  to  think  he 
would  be  enjoying  himself  with  some  one  else, 
while  I  was  suffering  the  hardship  of  having 
my  money  taken  care  of  for  me. 

Giles  had  no  more  forgotten  the  Lady  Ara- 
bella than  I  had,  and,  on  reading  this  note,  ex- 
claimed,— 

"  Zounds !  I  wish  Peter  and  Polly  had  sent 
for  me  to  stay  in  Berkeley  Square,  with  that 
divine  creature  under  the  same  roof.  Do  you 
think,  Dicky,  we  could  exchange  identities,  so 
to  speak?"  But  on  my  reminding  him  that 
Lady  Hawkshaw  had  demanded  my  prize- 
money,  and  would  certainly  get  it,  his  ardor 
to  stand  in  my  shoes  somewhat  abated. 

When  I  reached  Sir  Peter's  house  about  noon, 
68 


With  her  were  Daphne  and  the  glorious  Lady  Arabella.     Page  6g 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lajy  Arabella 

the  same  tall  and  insolent  footman  that  I  had 
seen  on  my  first  visit  opened  the  door  for  me. 
Lady  Hawkshaw,  wearing  the  same  black  velvet 
gown  and  the  identical  feathers,  received  me, 
and  sitting  with  her  were  Daphne  Carmichael 
and  the  glorious,  the  beautiful,  the  enchanting 
Lady  Arabella  Stormont. 

If  I  had  fallen  madly  in  love  with  her  when 
I  was  but  fourteen,  and  had  only  seven  and  six- 
pence, one  may  imagine  where  I  found  myself 
when  I  was  near  seventeen,  and  had  two  thou- 
sand pounds  in  a  bag  in  my  hands.  Lady 
Hawkshaw's  greeting  was  stiff,  but  far  from  un- 
kind ;  and  she  introduced  me  to  the  young  ladies, 
who  curtsied  most  beautifully  to  me,  and,  I  may 
say,  looked  at  me  not  unkindly. 

"  Is  that  your  prize-money  in  that  bag,  Rich- 
ard? "  asked  Lady  Hawkshaw  immediately. 

I  replied  it  was. 

"  Jeames,"  she  said,  "  go  and  make  my  com- 
pliments to  Sir  Peter,  and  say  to  him  that  if  he 
has  nothing  better  to  do,  I  would  be  glad  to  see 
him  at  once.  And  order  the  coach." 

James  departed. 

I  sat  in  adoring  silence,  oblivious  of  Daphne, 
69 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

but  gazing  at  Lady  Arabella  until  she  ex- 
claimed pettishly, — 

"  La !  Have  I  got  a  cross-eye  or  a  crooked 
nose,  Mr.  Richard,  that  you  can't  take  your 
eyes  off  me  ?  " 

"  You  have  neither,"  I  replied  gallantly. 
"  And  my  name  is  not  Mr.  Richard,  but  Mr. 
Glyn,  at  your  ladyship's  service." 

"  Arabella,"  said  Lady  Hawkshaw  in  a  voice 
of  thunder,  "  be  more  particular  in  your  ad- 
dress to  young  gentlemen." 

"  Oh,  yes,  ma'am !  "  pertly  replied  Lady  Ara- 
bella. "  But  such  very  young  gentlemen,  like 
Mr.  Glyn,  or  Mr.  Thin,  or  whatever  his  name 
may  be,  are  always  difficult  to  please  in  the  way 
of  address.  If  you  are  familiar,  they  are  af- 
fronted; and  if  you  are  reserved,  they  think 
you  are  making  game  of  them." 

By  this  speech  I  discovered  that  although 
Lady  Hawkshaw  might  rule  her  world,  terrorize 
Sir  Peter,  and  make  the  Lords  of  the  Admiralty 
her  humble  servitors,  she  had  one  rebel  in  the 
camp,  and  that  was  Lady  Arabella  Stormont. 
I  saw  that  her  remarks  displeased  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw, but  she  endured  them  in  silence.  Who, 
70 


though,  would  not  endure  anything  from  that 
cherub  mouth  and  those  dazzling  eyes? 

Sir  Peter  now  appeared  and  greeted  me. 

"  Sir  Peter,"  said  Lady  Hawkshaw  in  her 
usual  authoritative  manner,  "  you  will  go  in  the 
coach  with  me  to  the  bank,  with  Richard  Glyn, 
to  deposit  his  money.  You  will  be  ready  in  ten 
minutes,  when  the  coach  will  be  at  the  door." 

"  I  will  go  with  you,  Madam,"  replied  Sir 
Peter ;  "  but  I  shall  order  my  horse,  and  ride 
a-horseback,  because  I  do  not  like  riding  in  that 
damned  stuffy  coach.  And  besides,  when  you 
and  your  feathers  get  in,  there  is  no  room  for 
me." 

"  You  ride  a-horseback ! "  sniffed  Lady 
Hawkshaw.  "  Even  the  grooms  and  stable  boys 
laugh  at  you.  You  are  always  talking  some 
sea  nonsense  about  keeping  the  horse's  head  to 
the  wind,  and  yawing  and  luffing  and  bowsing 
at  the  bowline,  and  what  not;  and  besides,  I  am 
afraid  to  trust  you  since  Brown  Jane  threw  you 
in  the  Park." 

It  ended  by  Sir  Peter's  going  in  the  coach, 
where  the  little  man  lay  back  in  the  corner, 
nearly  smothered  by  Lady  Hawkshaw's  volumi- 
71 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

nous  robe,  and  pishing  and  pshawing  the  whole 
way. 

But  I  was  quite  happy, —  albeit  I  was  the 
victim  of  Lady  Hawkshaw  in  having  my  money 
kept  for  me, —  for  on  the  seat  beside  me  was 
Lady  Arabella,  who  chose  to  go  with  us.  She 
made  much  game  of  me,  but  I  had  the  spirit 
to  answer  her  back.  After  placing  the  money, 
we  took  an  airing  in  the  park,  and  then  re- 
turned to  dinner  at  five  o'clock.  I  neither  knew 
nor  cared  what  became  of  Daphne;  for  was  I 
not  with  the  adored  Lady  Arabella? 

That  night  Lady  Hawkshaw  was  at  home, 
and  I  had  my  first  experience  of  a  London  rout. 
The  card-tables  were  set  on  the  lower  floor,  for 
although  Lady  Hawkshaw  hated  cards,  yet  it 
was  commonly  said  that  no  one  could  entertain 
company  in  London  without  them. 

And  that  night  I  made  a  strange  and  terrible 
discovery.  Lady  Arabella  was  a  gamester  of 
the  most  desperate  character,  in  ready  money, 
as  far  as  her  allowance  as  a  minor  permitted, 
and  in  promises  to  pay,  when  she  came  into  her 
fortune,  as  far  as  such  promises  would  be  ac- 
cepted. But  they  were  not  much  favored  by 
72 


TLc  Loves  of  tic  Lacbr  Arabella 

the  gentlemen  and  ladies  who  played  with  her; 
for  the  chances  of  her  marrying  before  her  ma- 
jority were  so  great,  that  her  I  O  U's  were  not 
considered  of  much  value,  and  found  few  takers, 
even  when  accompanied  by  Lady  Arabella's 
most  brilliant  smiles;  for  your  true  gamester  is 
impervious  to  smiles  or  frowns,  insensible  to 
beauty  —  in  short,  all  his  faculties  are  concen- 
trated on  the  odd  trick. 

A  great  mob  of  fine  people  came  and  there 
was  a  supper,  and  many  wax  lights,  and  all  the 
accessories  of  a  fashionable  rout.  I  wandered 
about,  knowing  no  one,  but  observant  of  all.  I 
noticed  that  a  very  clever  device  was  hit  upon  by 
Lady  Arabella  and  others  who  liked  high  play, 
which  Lady  Hawkshaw  disliked  very  much. 
The  stakes  were  nominally  very  small,  but  in 
reality  they  were  very  large,  shillings  actually 
signifying  pounds.  All  of  the  people  who 
practised  this  were  in  one  of  the  lower  rooms, 
while  Sir  Peter,  who  was  allowed  to  play  six- 
penny whist,  and  those  who  in  good  faith  ob- 
served Lady  Hawkshaw's  wishes,  were  in  a  room 
to  themselves.  I  must  not  forget  to  mention", 
among  the  notable  things  at  this  rout,  Lady 
73 


Tnc  Loves  or  toe  Lacy  Arabella 

Hawkshaw's  turban.  It  was  a  construction  of 
feathers,  flowers,  beads,  and  every  other  species 
of  ornament,  the  whole  capped  with  the  cele- 
brated tiara  which  had  been  bought  from  the 
Portuguese,  and  the  diamond  necklace  beamed 
upon  her  black  velvet  bosom.  Sir  Peter  seemed 
quite  enchanted  with  her  appearance,  as  she 
loomed  a  head  taller  than  any  woman  in  the 
rooms,  and  evidently  considered  her  a  combina- 
tion of  Venus  and  Minerva  —  not  that  the  pair 
ceased  squabbling  on  that  account.  I  think 
they  disagreed  violently  on  every  detail  of  the 
party,  and  Sir  Peter  was  routed  at  every  point. 

Among  those  who  did  not  play  was  Daphne, 
then  quite  as  tall  as  I  and  well  on  into  her  six- 
teenth year.  I  could  not  but  acknowledge  her 
to  be  a  pretty  slip  of  a  girl,  and  we  sat  in  a 
corner  and  I  told  her  about  our  bloody  doings 
on  the  Ajax,  until  she  stopped  her  ears  and 
begged  me  to  desist.  I  regarded  Daphne  with 
condescension,  then;  but  I  perceived  that  she 
was  sharp  of  wit  and  nimble  of  tongue,  much 
more  so  than  her  cousin,  Lady  Arabella. 

After  a  while  I  left  Daphne  and  went  back 
to  watch  Lady  Arabella.  I  soon  saw  that  she 
74 


The  Loves  or  toe  Lady  Arabella 

was  a  very  poor  player,  and  lost  continually; 
but  that  only  whetted  her  appetite  for  the  game. 
Presently  a  gentleman  entered,  and,  walking 
about  listlessly,  although  he  seemed  to  be  known 
to  everybody  present,  approached  me.  It  was 
Captain  Overton,  as  handsome,  as  distrait,  as  on 
the  first  and  only  time  I  had  seen  him. 

Much  to  my  surprise,  he  recognized  me  and 
came  up  and  spoke  to  me,  making  me  a  very 
handsome  compliment  upon  the  performances  of 
the  Ajax. 

"  And  is  my  cousin,  Mr.  Vernon,  here  to- 
night? "  he  asked,  smiling. 

I  replied  I  supposed  not;  he  had  received  no 
card  when  we  had  parted  that  morning,  and  I 
knew  of  none  since. 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  meet  him,"  said 
Overton.  "  I  think  him  a  fine  fellow,  in  spite 
of  our  disagreement.  I  see  you  are  not  play- 
ing." 

"  I  have  no  taste  for  play,  strange  to  say." 

"  Do  not  try  to  acquire  it,"  he  said ;  "  it  is 
wrong,  you  may  depend  upon  it ;  but  indulgence 
in  it  makes  many  believe  it  to  be  right.     Every 
time  you  look  at  a  sin,  it  gets  better  looking." 
75 


I  was  surprised  to  hear  sin  mentioned  in  the 
society  of  such  elegant  and  well-bred  sinners  as 
I  saw  around  me,  who  never  alluded  to  it,  except 
officially,  as  it  were,  on  Sunday,  when  they  all 
declared  themselves  miserable  sinners  —  for  that 
occasion  only.  Overton  then  sauntered  over 
toward  Lady  Arabella,  who  seemed  to  recognize 
his  approach  by  instinct.  She  turned  to  him, 
her  cards  in  her  hands,  and  flushed  deeply;  he 
gazed  at  her  sternly  as  if  in  reproof,  and,  after 
a  slight  remark  or  two,  moved  off,  to  her  evident 
chagrin. 

Daphne  being  near  me  then,  I  said  to  her 
with  a  forced  laugh, — 

"  What  is  the  meaning,  I  beg  you  to  tell  me, 
of  the  pantomime  between  Lady  Arabella  and 
Captain  Overton  ?  " 

Daphne  hesitated,  and  then  said, — 

"  Captain  Overton  was  one  of  the  gayest 
men  about  London  until  a  year  or  two  ago. 
Since  then,  it  is  said,  he  has  turned  Methody. 
It  is  believed  he  goes  to  Mr.  Wesley's  meetings, 
although  he  has  never  been  actually  caught 
there.  He  lives  plainly,  and,  some  say,  he  gives 
his  means  to  the  poor ;  he  will  not  go  to  the  races 
76 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

any  more,  nor  play,  and  he  does  not  like  to  see 
Arabella  play." 

"  What  has  he  to  do  with  Arabella?  " 

"  Nothing  that  I  know  of,  except  that  she 
likes  him.  He  does  not  like  to  see  any  one  play 
now,  although  he  gamed  very  high  himself  at 
one  time." 

I  had  seen  no  particular  marks  of  interest  on 
Overton's  part  toward  Lady  Arabella;  but, 
watching  her,  I  saw,  in  a  very  little  while,  the 
deepest  sort  of  interest  on  her  part  toward  him. 
She  even  left  the  card-table  for  him,  and  kept 
fast  hold  of  him.  I  recalled  the  way  she  had 
striven  to  attract  his  attention  at  the  play  that 
night,  more  than  two  years  before,  and  my  jeal- 
ous soul  was  illuminated  with  the  knowledge 
that  she  was  infatuated  with  Overton  —  and  I 
was  right. 

Some  time  afterward,  whom  should  I  see  walk- 
ing in  but  Giles  Vernon!  Lady  Hawkshaw 
received  him  most  graciously.  I  went  up  to 
him  and  asked,  "  How  came  you  here  ?  " 

"  Did  you  think,  Dicky,  that  I  meant  to  let 
you  keep  up  a  close  blockade  of  the  lovely  Ara- 
bella ?  No,  indeed ;  I  got  a  card  at  seven  o'clock 
77 


Toe  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

this  evening,  by  working  all  day  for  it,  and  I 
mean  to  reconnoiter  the  ground  as  well  as  you." 

I  thought  when  he  saw  Lady  Arabella  with 
Overton  that  even  Giles  Vernon's  assurance 
would  scarcely  be  equal  to  accosting  her.  He 
marched  himself  up  with  all  the  coolness  in  the 
world,  claiming  kinship  boldly  with  Overton, 
who  couldn't  forbear  smiling,  and  immediately 
began  to  try  for  favor  in  Arabella's  eyes. 

But  here  I  saw  what  I  never  did  before  or 
since  with  Giles  Vernon  —  a  woman  who  was 
utterly  indifferent  to  him,  and  actually  seemed 
to  dislike  him.  She  scarcely  noticed  him  at 
first,  and,  when  he  would  not  be  rebuffed,  was  so 
saucy  to  him  that  I  wondered  he  stood  it  for  a 
minute.  But  stand  it  he  did,  with  the  evident 
determination  to  conquer  her  indifference  or  dis- 
like, whichever  it  might  be. 

Overton  seized  the  excuse  of  Giles'  approach 
to  escape,  and  left  the  house,  which  did  not  cause 
Lady  Arabella  to  like  Giles  any  better.  She 
returned  to  the  card-table,  Giles  with  her,  and, 
by  the  exercise  of  the  most  exquisite  ingenuity, 
he  managed  to  lose  some  money  to  her,  which 
somewhat  restored  her  good  humor. 
78 


Tnc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

At  last  the  rout  was  over,  and,  soon  after 
midnight,  all  had  gone.  I  was  shown  to  a  bed- 
room, with  only  a  partition  wall  between  me  and 
Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw;  so  I  had  the 
benefit  of  the  nightly  lecture  Lady  Hawkshaw 
gave  Sir  Peter,  with  the  most  unfailing  regu- 
larity. On  this  particular  night,  they  came 
nearer  agreeing  than  usual,  both  of  them  dis- 
cussing anxiously  Lady  Arabella's  marked  fond- 
ness for  play.  And  Lady  Hawkshaw  told  of  a 
late  escapade  of  Lady  Arabella's  in  which  a  cer- 
tain ace  of  clubs  was  played  by  her;  the  said 
ace  of  clubs  being  fashioned  out  of  black  court- 
plaster  and  white  cardboard.  When  detected, 
Lady  Arabella  professed  to  think  the  whole 
thing  a  joke,  but  as  her  adversary  at  the  time 
was  a  very  old  lady  whose  eyesight  was  notor- 
iously defective,  it  took  all  of  Lady  Arabella's 
wit  and  youth  to  carry  it  off  successfully,  which, 
however,  she  did.  As  for  her  trinkets,  Lady 
Arabella  was  always  buying  them,  and  always 
taking  a  distaste  to  them,  so  she  alleged,  and 
Lady  Hawkshaw  suspected  they  took  the  place 
of  shillings  at  the  card-table.  Sir  Peter 
groaned  at  this,  and  remarked  that  the  earl,  her 
79 


Tic  Loves  or  tie  Lady  Arabella 

father,  was  the  worst  gamester  he  ever  knew, 
except  her  grandfather.  I  do  not  remember 
any  more.  I  tried  to  avoid  hearing  what  they 
were  saying,  but  every  word  was  distinctly  audi- 
ble to  me,  until,  at  this  point,  I  fell  asleep  and 
dreamed  that  Lady  Hawkshaw  was  appointed  to 
command  the  Ajax,  and  I  was  to  report  on 
board  next  day. 


80 


I  spent  several  weeks  in  Sir  Peter's  house, 
and  strange  weeks  they  were  in  many  respects. 
I  never  had  the  least  complaint  to  make  of  the 
kindness  of  Sir  Peter  or  Lady  Hawkshaw,  ex- 
cept that  Lady  Hawkshaw  insisted  on  investing 
my  money,  all  except  ten  pounds  which  she  gave 
me,  charging  me  to  be  careful  with  it;  but  Sir 
Peter  secretly  lent  me  a  considerable  sum,  to 
be  repaid  at  my  majority. 

Sir  Peter  was  actively  at  war  with  all  the 
women-folk  in  the  household,  from  his  lady 
down,  except  little  Daphne.  He  assumed  to 
conduct  everything  in  a  large  town  house  in 
Berkeley  Square  exactly  as  if  he  were  on  the 
Ajax,  seventy-four.  He  desired  to  have  the 
lazy  London  servants  called  promptly  at  two 
bells,  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  to  put 
them  to  holystoning,  squilgeeing,  and  swabbing 
off  the  decks,  as  he  called  it.  Of  course  the 
servants  rebelled,  and  Sir  Peter  denounced  them 
as  mutineers,  and  would  have  dearly  liked  to  put 
81 


Toe  Loves  or  tne  Lacy  Arabella 

them  all  in  double  irons.  He  divided  the  scul- 
lions and  chambermaids  into  watches,  and  when 
they  laughed  in  his  face,  threatened  them  with 
the  articles  of  war.  He  wished  everything  in 
the  house  stowed  away  in  the  least  compass  pos- 
sible, and  when  Lady  Hawkshaw  had  her  routs, 
Sir  Peter,  watch  in  hand,  superintended  the  re- 
moval of  the  furniture  from  the  reception- 
rooms,  which  he  called  clearing  for  action,  and 
discharged  any  servant  who  was  not  smart  at 
his  duty.  He  had  a  room,  which  he  called  his 
study,  fitted  up  with  all  the  odds  and  ends  he 
had  collected  during  forty  years  in  the  navy, 
and  here  he  held  what  might  be  called  drum- 
head courts-martial,  and  disrated  the  domestic 
staff,  fined  them,  swore  at  them,  and  bitterly  re- 
gretted that  the  land  law  did  not  admit  of  any 
proper  discipline  whatever. 

It  may  be  imagined  what  a  scene  of  discord 
this  created,  although  Sir  Peter  was  of  so  kind 
and  generous  a  nature  that  the  servants  took 
more  from  him  than  from  most  masters,  and, 
indeed,  rather  diverted  themselves  with  his  fines 
and  punishments,  and,  when  dismissed,  declined 
to  leave  his  service,  much  to  his  wrath  and 
82 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

chagrin.  The  acme  was  reached  when  he  at- 
tempted to  put  the  cook  in  the  brig,  as  he  called 
a  dank  cellar  which  he  determined  to  utilize  for 
mutineers,  as  on  board  ship.  The  cook,  a  huge 
creature  three  times  as  big  as  Sir  Peter,  boarded 
him  in  his  own  particular  den,  and,  brandishing 
a  rolling-pin  that  was  quite  as  dangerous  as  a 
cutlass,  announced  that  she  would  no  longer 
submit  to  be  governed  by  the  articles  of  war, 
as  administered  by  Sir  Peter.  She  was  sus- 
tained by  a  vociferous  chorus  of  housemaids  and 
kitchen  girls  who  flocked  behind  her,  the  men 
rather  choosing  to  remain  in  the  background 
and  grinning.  Sad  to  say,  Admiral  Sir  Peter 
Hawkshaw,  C.B.,  was  conquered  by  the  virago 
with  the  rolling-pin,  and  was  forced  to  surren- 
der to  the  mutineers,  which  he  did  with  a  very 
bad  grace.  At  that  juncture  Lady  Hawkshaw 
hove  in  sight,  and,  bearing  down  upon  the  com- 
pany from  below  stairs,  dispersed  them  all  with 
one  wave  of  her  hand.  Sir  Peter  complained 
bitterly,  and  Lady  Hawkshaw  promised  to  bring 
them  to  summary  punishment.  But  she  warned 
Sir  Peter  that  his  methods  were  becoming  as  in- 
tolerable to  her  as  to  the  rest  of  the  family,  and 
83 


Tte  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

Sir  Peter,  after  a  round  or  two  for  the  honor 
of  his  flag,  hauled  down  his  colors.  This  be- 
came especially  necessary,  as  his  retirement  was 
at  hand,  consequent  more  upon  an  obstinate 
rheumatism  that  fixed  itself  upon  him  than  his 
age.  There  was  doubt  whether  he  would  get 
the  K.C.B.,  which  he  certainly  well  deserved, 
on  his  retirement;  there  was  some  sort  of  hitch 
about  it,  although,  after  the  capture  of  the  two 
French  ships,  he  had  been  promoted  to  the  office 
of  admiral.  Lady  Hawkshaw,  however,  went 
down  to  the  Admiralty  in  a  coach  with  six  horses 
and  three  footmen  and  four  outriders,  and, 
marching  in  upon  the  First  Lord,  opened  fire 
on  him,  with  the  result  that  Sir  Peter  was 
gazetted  K.C.B.  the  very  next  week. 

Little  Daphne,  who  had  always  submitted  to 
Sir  Peter's  whims,  did  so  more  than  ever  after 
he  had  been  vanquished  by  the  cook;  and  Sir 
Peter  swore,  twenty  times  a  week,  that  Daphne 
had  the  stuff  in  her  to  make  a  sea-officer  of  the 
first  order. 

My  infatuation  for  Lady  Arabella  continued ; 
but  I  can  not  say  she  ever  showed  me  the  least 
mark  of  favor.  But  that  she  did  to  no  one  ex- 
84 


Tic  Loves  of  tic  Lac^  Arabella 

cept  Overton,  and  I  soon  knew  what  everybody 
in  the  town  knew,  that  she  was  desperately  smit- 
ten with  him,  and  would  have  bestowed  herself 
and  her  fortune  upon  him  at  any  moment,  if  he 
would  but  accept  it.  As  for  Giles  Vernon,  she 
showed  him  what  no  other  woman  ever  did, —  a 
coolness  at  first,  that  deepened  into  something 
like  active  hatred.  She  knew  he  stood  between 
Overton  and  the  heirship  to  the  Vernon  estates, 
and  that  was  enough  to  make  her  dislike  him. 
She  often  remarked  upon  his  want  of  good  looks, 
and  she  was  the  only  woman  I  ever  knew  to  do 
it.  Yet  Giles  was  undeniably  hard-featured, 
and,  except  a  good  figure,  had  nothing  in  his 
person  to  recommend  him.  I  had  thought  that 
pride  would  have  kept  Giles  from  paying  court 
to  a  person  so  inimical  to  him ;  but  pride  was  the 
excuse  he  gave  for  still  pursuing  her.  He  de- 
clared he  had  never,  no,  never,  been  flouted  by  a 
woman,  and  that  Lady  Arabella  should  yet  come 
at  his  call.  This  I  believed  at  the  time  to  be 
mere  bravado.  He  was  enchanted  by  her,  that 
was  the  truth,  and  could  no  more  leave  her  than 
the  moth  can  leave  the  candle. 

I  saw  much  of  Daphne  in  those  days,  chiefly 
85 


The  Loves  or  tne  Lac^  Arabella 

because  I  could  see  so  little  of  Lady  Arabella, 
who  led  a  life  of  singular  independence,  little 
restrained  by  the  authority  of  Lady  Hawkshaw, 
and  none  at  all  by  Sir  Peter.  Daphne  was  fond 
of  books,  and  commonly  went  about  with  one 
under  her  arm.  I,  too,  was  inclined  to  be  book- 
ish; and  so  there  was  something  in  common  be- 
tween us.  She  was  keener  of  wit  than  any  one 
in  that  house ;  and  I  soon  learned  to  take  delight 
in  her  conversation,  in  Lady  Arabella's  ab- 
sence. My  love  for  the  Lady  Arabella  was,  I 
admit,  the  fond  fancy  of  a  boy;  while  Giles 
Vernon's  was  the  mad  infatuation  of  a  man. 

Giles  was  much  with  us  at  that  time;  and  I 
acknowledge  I  had  great  benefit  from  the  spend- 
ing of  his  prize-money  —  or  rather,  I  should 
say,  much  enjoyment.  He  laid  it  out  right 
royally,  asked  the  price  of  nothing,  and,  for 
the  time  he  was  in  London,  footed  it  with  the 
best  of  them.  His  lineage  and  his  heirship  to 
Sir  Thomas  Vernon  gave  him  entrance  any- 
where; and  his  wit  and  courage  made  his  place 
secure.  Shortly  after  we  arrived,  Sir  Thomas 
Vernon  also  arrived  at  his  house  in  Grosvenor 
Square.  We  were  bound  to  meet  him,  for  Giles 
86 


Tie.  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

went  much  into  gay  society,  as  I  did,  in  the 
train  of  Lady  Hawkshaw.  The  first  time  this 
occurred  was  at  a  drum  at  her  Grace  of  Au- 
chester's,  where  all  of  London  was  assembled. 
Even  Overton,  who  was  rarely  seen  in  drawing- 
rooms,  was  there.  Giles,  of  course,  was  there; 
her  Grace  had  fallen  in  love  with  him,  as  women 
usually  did,  the  first  time  she  met  him. 

It  was  a  great  house  for  play ;  and  when  we 
arrived,  we  found  the  whole  suite  of  splendid 
apartments  on  the  lower  floor  prepared  for 
cards. 

There  was  the  usual  crush  and  clamor  of  a 
fine  London  party;  and  I,  being  young  and 
unsophisticated,  enjoyed  it,  as  did  Daphne. 
Names  were  bawled  out  at  the  head  of  the  stairs, 
but  could  not  be  distinguished  over  the  roar  of 
voices.  I  happened  to  be  near  the  door,  with 
Giles,  Lady  Arabella  being  near  by,  when  I 
heard  the  name  of  Sir  Thomas  Vernon  shouted 
out,  as  he  entered. 

He  was  a  man  of  middle  size,  and  was  be- 
tween forty  and  fifty  years  of  age.  He  might 
once  have  been  handsome;  but  the  ravages  of 
an  evil  nature  and  a  broken  constitution  were 
87 


The  Loves  or  tne  Lacy  Arabella 

plainly  visible  in  his  countenance.  I  observed 
that,  as  he  stood,  glancing  about  him  before 
making  his  devoirs  to  the  Duchess  of  Auches- 
ter,  no  one  spoke  to  him,  or  seemed  disposed  to 
recognize  him.  This  only  brought  a  sardonic 
grin  to  his  countenance.  He  advanced,  and 
was  civilly,  though  not  cordially,  received  by 
her  Grace.  At  that  moment,  Giles  approached, 
and  spoke  to  her,  and  the  change  in  the  great 
lady's  manner  showed  the  favor  in  which  she 
held  him.  Sir  Thomas  scowled  upon  Giles,  but 
bowed  slightly;  and  Giles  returned  the  look  by 
a  steady  glance,  and  this  stinging  remark: 

"  Good  evening,  Sir  Thomas.  You  look  very 
ill.  Is  your  health  as  desperate  as  I  heard  it 
was  two  years  ago?  " 

A  titter  went  around  at  this,  and  Giles  moved 
off,  smiling.  Sir  Thomas  was  unpopular,  there 
could  be  no  doubt  about  that. 

Presently  Sir  Thomas  caught  sight  of  Lady 
Arabella,  and,  as  usual,  he  was  instantly  struck 
by  her  exquisite  beauty.  He  succeeded  in  be- 
ing presented  to  her,  and  I  noted  that  she  re- 
ceived him  with  affability. 

About  midnight  the  company  broke  up,  and 
88 


our  party  made  a  move  to  go,  but  Lady  Ara- 
bella announced  that  she  had  been  invited  by1 
her  Grace  of  Auchester  to  stay  the  night,  and 
she  wished  to  do  so.  Neither  Sir  Peter  nor 
Lady  Hawkshaw  perfectly  approved;  but  Lad}7 
Arabella  carried  her  point,  with  the  assistance 
of  the  duchess.  At  the  last  moment,  her  Grace 
—  a  fine  woman  —  approached  me,  and  said 
confidentially, — 

"  Mr.  Wynne, —  Glyn,  I  mean, —  will  you 
not  remain,  and  share  a  game  with  a  choice  col- 
lection of  players  ?  " 

I  was  flattered  at  being  asked;  and  besides,  I 
wanted  to  see  how  these  great  London  ladies 
acted  at  such  play,  so  I  accepted.  But  it  was 
another  thing  to  get  away  from  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw. However,  I  managed  to  elude  her,  by 
giving  a  shilling  to  a  footman,  who  shoved  me 
into  a  little  closet,  and  then  went  and  told  Lady 
Hawkshaw  I  had  gone  home  in  a  coach  with 
a  gentleman  who  had  been  taken  ill,  and  had 
left  word  for  them  to  go  without  me.  This 
pacified  her,  and  she  and  Sir  Peter  and  Daphne 
went  away  with  the  crowd.  There  were  left 
about  twenty  persons,  who,  after  a  little  supper, 
89 


TLe.  Loves  of  tie  Lacb  Arabella 

and  general  expressions  of  relief  at  the  depart- 
ure of  the  other  guests,  sat  down  to  play,  at 
one  in  the  morning.  There  was  a  cabinet  min- 
ister, also  a  political  parson,  two  peers  of  the 
realm,  several  officers  of  the  Guards,  Giles  Ver- 
non,  and  your  humble  servant.  The  ladies  were 
mostly  old, —  Lady  Arabella  was  the  youngest 
of  them  all,  — but  all  very  great  in  rank. 

I  had  wanted  to  see  London  ladies  play  — 
and  I  saw  them.  Jack,  with  his  greasy  cards, 
in  the  forecastle,  laying  his  month's  wages,  was 
a  child  to  them.  And  how  they  watched  one 
another,  and  quarreled  and  fought! 

No  one  among  them  played  so  eagerly  as 
Lady  Arabella;  and  very  badly,  as  usual,  so 
that  she  managed  to  lose  all  her  money.  She 
was  ever  a  bad  player,  with  all  her  passion  for 
play.  Her  last  guinea  went;  and  then,  deter- 
mined not  to  be  balked,  she  rose  and  said, 
laughing, — 

"  I  have  on  a  new  white  satin  petticoat,  with 
lace  that  cost  three  guineas  the  yard.  It  is  very 
fit  for  waistcoats.  No  gentleman  will  be  so  un- 
gallant  as  to  refuse  my  petticoat  as  a  stake." 

Of  course,  they  all  applauded;  and  Lady 
90 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

Arabella,  retiring  behind  a  screen,  emerged  with 
her  satin  petticoat  —  how  it  shone  and  shim- 
mered !  —  in  her  hand.  And  in  five  minutes, 
she  had  lost  it  to  Giles  Vernon! 

There  was  much  laughter,  but  Giles,  gravely 
folding  it  up,  laid  it  aside;  and  when  we  de- 
parted, in  the  gray  light  of  dawn,  he  carried 
it  off  under  his  arm. 

As  for  me,  I  had  lost  all  the  money  I  had 
with  me,  and  had  given  my  I  O  U  for  three 
hundred  pounds. 

Next  day  Lady  Arabella  was  dropped  in 
Berkeley  Square  by  her  Grace  of  Auchester.  It 
was  in  the  afternoon,  and  I  was  sitting  in  the 
Chinese  room  with  Lady  Hawkshaw  and  Daph- 
ne when  Lady  Arabella  appeared. 

"  Well,  Dicky,"  she  said, —  a  very  offensive 
mode  of  addressing  me, — "  how  do  you  stand 
your  losses  at  play  ?  "  And,  as  I  am  a  sinner, 
she  plumped  out  the  whole  story  of  my  play  to 
Lady  Hawkshaw  and  Daphne.  As  an  officer 
and  a  gentleman,  I  scorned  to  retaliate  by  tell- 
ing of  the  white  satin  petticoat.  But  vengeance 
was  at  hand.  Just  as  she  had  finished,  when 
Lady  Hawkshaw  was  swelling  with  rage,  like  a 
91 


toad,  before  opening  her  main  batteries  on  me, 
and  Daphne's  fair  eyes  were  full  of  contempt 
for  me,  we  heard  a  commotion  outside.  None 
of  us  could  keep  from  going  to  the  window,  and 
the  sight  we  saw  threw  Lady  Arabella  into  a 
perfect  tempest  of  angry  tears. 

A  fife  and  drum  were  advancing  up  the  street, 
playing  with  great  vigor  the  old  tune  known 
as  "  Petticoats  Loose."  Behind  them  marched, 
with  the  deepest  gravity,  a  couple  of  marines, 
bearing  aloft  on  their  muskets  a  glittering  shim- 
mering thing  that  fluttered  whitely  in  the  air. 
It  was  Lady  Arabella's  satin  petticoat;  and, 
halting  before  the  door,  the  drum,  with  a  great 
flourish,  pounded  the  knocker.  On  the  porter's 
responding,  the  two  marines  handed  the  petti- 
coat in  with  ceremony  to  him,  directing  him  to 
convey  it  to  the  Lady  Arabella  Stormont,  with 
the  compliments  of  Lieutenant  Giles  Vernon  of 
his  Majesty's  service.  This  the  man  did,  and 
was  almost  torn  to  pieces  by  her  for  doing  so, 
though  in  what  way  he  had  offended,  I  know 
not  to  this  day.  Jt  was  a  trifling  thing,  and 
made  laughter  for  us  all  (including  Lady 
Hawkshaw),  except  Arabella.  She  seemed  to 


-- 
It  was  Lady  Arabella's  satin  petticoat.     Page  92 


The  Loves  or  tie  Lady  Arabella 

hate  Giles  with  a  more  virulent  hatred  after 
that,  and  tried  very  hard  to  induce  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw  to  forbid  him  the  house,  which,  however, 
Lady  Hawkshaw  refused  to  do. 

Neither  Giles  nor  I  had  by  any  means  for- 
gotten our  appointment  to  meet  Captain  Over- 
ton  on  the  field  of  honor;  and  as  the  time 
approached  for  the  meeting,  Giles  sent  a  very 
civil  note  to  Overton,  asking  him  to  name  a  gen- 
tleman who  would  see  me  to  arrange  the  prelimi- 
naries, for  I  would  never  have  forgiven  Giles 
had  he  chosen  any  one  else.  Overton  responded, 
naming  our  old  first  lieutenant,  Mr.  Buxton, 
who  happened  to  be  in  London  then,  and  was  an 
acquaintance  of  his.  I  believe  Overton's  ob- 
ject in  asking  Mr.  Buxton  to  act  for  him  was 
the  hope  that  the  affair  might  be  arranged ;  for 
from  what  I  had  heard  of  the  deeply  religious 
turn  Overton  had  taken,  I  concluded  the  meeting 
was  somewhat  against  his  conscience.  But  the 
indignity  of  a  blow  in  the  face  to  an  officer 
could  not  be  easily  wiped  out  without  an  ex- 
change of  shots.  My  principal  was  much  dis- 
gusted when  Mr.  Buxton  was  named. 

"  I  know  how  it  will  be,  Dicky,"  he  growled. 
93 


The.  Loves  or  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

"  You  will  sit  like  a  great  gaby,  with  your 
mouth  open,  imagining  the  tavern  parlor  to  be 
the  cockpit  of  the  Ajax.  Mr.  Buxton  will  talk 
to  you  in  his  quarter-deck  voice,  and  you  will 
be  so  frightened  that  you  will  agree  to  use  bird- 
shot  at  forty  paces,  provided  Mr.  Buxton  pro- 
poses it." 

This  I  indignantly  denied,  and  swore  I  would 
meet  Mr.  Buxton  as  man  to  man.  Neverthe- 
less, when  we  were  sitting  at  the  table  in  Mr. 
Buxton's  lodgings,  I  did  very  much  as  Giles 
had  predicted.  I  forgot  several  things  that  I 
had  wished  to  say,  and  said  several  things  I 
wished  I  had  forgotten.  Mr.  Buxton  did  not 
let  me  forget,  however,  that  he  had  been  my 
first  lieutenant,  and  I  was  but  a  midshipman. 
He  called  my  principal  a  hot-headed  jackanapes 
before  my  very  face,  adding  angrily, — 

"  But  for  him  I  should  have  been  first  on  the 
Indomptdble's  deck."  To  all  this  I  made  but  a 
feeble  protest;  and  finally  it  was  arranged  that 
the  meeting  should  take  place  at  a  spot  very 
near  Richmond,  at  eight  o'clock,  on  the  morning 
of  June  the  twenty-ninth. 

When  the  date  was  set,  and  the  arrangements 
94 


The  Loves  of  tne  Lacy  Arabella 

made,  I  began  to  feel  very  much  frightened. 
Not  so  Giles.  There  was  to  be  a  great  ball  at 
Almack's  on  the  night  of  the  twenty-eighth  and 
Giles  announced  that  he  was  going.  It  was  a 
very  special  occasion  for  him,  because  the 
Trenchard,  whom  he  still  called  the  divine  Syl- 
via, and  professed  to  admire  as  much  as  ever, 
was  to  go  that  night.  She  was  then  the  rage, 
and  had  a  carriage,  diamonds,  and  a  fine  estab- 
lishment, yet  I  believe  her  conduct  to  have  been 
irreproachable.  She  had  long  been  consumed 
with  a  desire  to  go  to  Almack's,  but  up  to  that 
time  no  actress  had  ever  yet  enjoyed  the  privi- 
lege. It  seemed  grotesque  enough  that  a  young 
midshipman,  of  no  more  consequence  than  Giles 
Vernon,  should  succeed  in  carrying  this  through. 
But  such  was  actually  the  case;  and  Giles  ac- 
complished it  by  that  singular  power  he  pos- 
sessed, by  which  no  woman  could  say  him  nay. 
He  worked  with  much  art  upon  those  great 
ladies,  her  Grace  of  Auchester  and  Lady  Con- 
yngham,  and  got  them  pledged  to  it.  Of 
course,  the  most  violent  opposition  was  de- 
veloped; but  Giles,  who  had  a  perfect  know- 
ledge of  the  feminine  heart,  managed  to  inspire 
95 


these  two  ladies  with  the  wish  to  exercise  their 
sovereignty  over  Almack's,  by  doing  what  was 
never  done  before.  Having  led  them  into  the 
fight,  they  had  no  thought  of  running  away; 
and  the  result  was  innumerable  heartburnings 
and  jealousies,  and  meanwhile  a  card  for  Mrs. 
Trenchard. 

The  noise  of  the  controversy  was  heard  all 
over  town,  and  it  was  discussed  in  Berkeley 
Square  as  elsewhere.  Lady  Hawkshaw  was  no 
longer  a  subscriber  to  Almack's.  Not  being 
able  to  rule  it,  she  had  retired,  the  assembly 
rooms  not  being  large  enough  to  hold  herself 
and  a  certain  other  lady. 

Giles  had  told  me  that  on  the  evening  of  the 
ball  he  and  other  gentlemen  interested  in  the 
victory  for  Mrs.  Trenchard  would  escort  her  to 
the  ball.  So  at  eight  o'clock  I  proceeded  to 
the  lady's  house  in  Jermyn  Street,  and  saw  her 
set  forth  in  state  in  her  chair.  She  was  blazing 
with  diamonds,  and  looked  like  a  stage  duchess. 
A  long  company  of  gentlemen  with  their  swords 
attended  her,  and  Giles  and  my  Lord  Winstan- 
ley  led  the  procession.  Mrs.  Trenchard  was  the 
best  imitation  of  a  lady  I  ever  saw,  as  she  sat 
96 


Tie  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

in  her  chair,  smiling  and  fanning  herself,  with 
the  linkboys  gaping  and  grinning  at  her;  and 
the  gentlemen  especially,  such  as  had  had  a 
little  more  wine  than  usual,  shouting,  "  Way 
for  Mrs.  Trenchard !  Make  way  there !  " 

Yet  it  seemed  to  me  as  if  she  were  only  an 
imitation,  after  all,  and  that  Lady  Hawkshaw, 
with  her  turban  and  her  outlandish  French,  had 
much  more  the  genuine  air  of  a  great  lady. 
Mrs.  Trenchard  would  go  to  Almack's  on  any 
terms,  but  Lady  Hawkshaw  would  not  go,  ex- 
cept she  ruled  the  roost,  and  fought  gallantly 
with  the  duchesses  and  countesses,  only  retiring 
from  the  field  because  she  was  one  against  many. 

I  followed  the  merry  process'on  until  we  got 
to  King  Street,  St.  James's,  where  the  coaches 
were  four  deep,  and  footmen,  in  regiments, 
blockaded  the  street.  Giles  and  Lord  Winstan- 
ley  were  to  take  Mrs.  Trenchard  in,  and  very 
grand  the  party  looked  as  they  entered.  By 
that  time,  though,  I  was  very  miserable.  I  re- 
membered that  at  the  same  time  the  next  night, 
I  might  not  have  my  friend.  I  hung  around 
among  the  footmen  and  idlers,  watching  the 
lights  and  listening  to  the  crash  of  the  music, 
97 


The  Loves  or  tie  Lacb  Arabella 

quite  unconscious  of  the  flight  of  time,  and  was 
astonished  when  the  ball  was  over  and  the  peo- 
ple began  pouring  out.  Then,  afraid  to  be 
caught  by  Giles,  I  ran  home  as  fast  as  my  legs 
could  carry  me. 

When  I  reached  Berkeley  Square,  it  was  alto- 
gether dark,  and  I  realized  that  I  was  locked 
out. 

I  looked  all  over  the  front  of  the  house,  and 
my  heart  sank.  There  was  a  blind  alley  at  one 
side,  and  I  remembered  that  in  it  opened  the 
window  of  Sir  Peter's  study,  as  he  called  it, 
although,  as  I  have  said,  it  was  more  like  the 
cubby-hole  of  the  Ajax  than  any  other  place 
I  can  call  to  mind.  The  window  was  at  least 
twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  but  a  waterspout 
ran  up  the  wall  beside  it,  and  to  a  midshipman, 
used  to  going  out  on  the  topsail-yard,  it  was 
a  trifle  to  get  up  to  the  window.  I  climbed  up, 
softly  tried  the  window,  and  to  my  joy  found  it 
open.  In  another  minute  I  was  standing  inside 
the  room.  I  had  my  flint  and  steel  in  my 
pocket,  and  I  groped  about  until  I  found  a 
candle,  which  I  lighted". 

I  had  often  been  in  the  room  before,  but  its 
98 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacb  Arabella 

grotesque  appearance  struck  me  afresh,  and  I 
could  not  forbear  laughing,  although  I  was  in 
no  laughing  mood.  There  was  a  regular  ship's 
transom  running  around  the  wall.  The  whole 
room  was  full  of  the  useless  odds  and  ends  that 
accumulate  on  board  a  ship,  all  arranged  with 
the  greatest  neatness  and  economy  of  space, 
and  there  was  not  one  single  object  in  the  room 
which  could  possibly  be  of  the  slightest  use  on 
shore. 

I  looked  around  to  see  how  I  could  make  my- 
self comfortable  for  the  night,  and,  opening 
a  locker  in  the  wall,  I  found  a  collection  of  old 
boat-cloaks  of  Sir  Peter's,  in  every  stage  of 
dilapidation,  but  all  laid  away  with  the  greatest 
care.  Taking  one  for  my  pillow  and  two  more 
for  my  coverlet,  I  lay  down  on  the  transom  and, 
blowing  out  the  candle,  was  soon  in  a  sound 
sleep. 

I  was  awakened  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morn- 
ing by  the  chiming  of  a  neighboring  church 
bell,  and  at  the  same  moment,  I  saw  the  door 
to  the  room  noiselessly  open,  and  Lady  Ara- 
bella Stormont  enter,  carrying  a  candle  which 
she  shaded  Wth  her  hand.  I  involuntarily  cov- 
99 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

ered  my  head  up,  thinking  she  had  probably 
come  in  search  of  something,  and  would  be 
alarmed  if  a  man  suddenly  jumped  from  the  pile 
of  boat-cloaks.  But  she  went  to  a  glass  door 
which  led  out  upon  a  balcony,  with  stairs  into 
the  garden,  and  unlocked  the  door.  I  had 
completely  forgotten  about  these  stairs,  not  be- 
ing familiar  with  the  room,  when  I  climbed  up 
and  got  in  through  the  window. 

Presently  I  heard  a  step  upon  the  stairs,  and 
before  the  person  who  was  coming  had  time  to 
knock,  Lady  Arabella  opened  the  door.  The 
rosy  dawn  of  a  clear  June  morning  made  it  light 
outside,  but  inside  the  room  it  was  quite  dark, 
except  for  the  candle  carried  by  Lady  Ara- 
bella. 

A  man  entered,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  in  the 
room,  she  noiselessly  locked  the  door,  and,  un- 
seen by  him,  put  the  key  in  her  pocket. 

As  he  turned,  and  the  candlelight  fell  upon 
his  face,  I  saw  it  was  Philip  Overton.  Amaze- 
ment was  pictured  in  his  face,  and  in  his  voice, 
too,  when  he  spoke. 

"  I  was  sent  for  in  haste,  by  Sir  Peter,  just 
now,"  he  said,  with  some  confusion. 
100 


At  which  Lady  Arabella  laughed,  as  if  it 
were  a  very  good  joke  that  he  should  find  her 
instead  of  Sir  Peter.  Meanwhile,  my  own  chaos 
of  mind  prevented  me  from  understanding  fully, 
what  they  were  saying;  but  I  gathered  that 
Lady  Arabella  had  devised  some  trick,  in  which 
she  had  freely  used  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw^s 
name  to  get  Overton  there  in  that  manner  and  in 
that  room.  Sir  Peter  was  such  a  very  odd  fish 
that  no  one  was  surprised  at  what  he  did.  It 
was  no  use  striving  not  to  listen, —  they  were 
not  five  feet  from  me, —  and  I  lay  there  in  ter- 
ror, realizing  that  I  was  in  a  very  dangerous 
position.  I  soon  discovered  that  Overton's  rep- 
utation for  lately-acquired  Methodistical  piety 
had  not  done  away  with  a  very  hot  temper. 
He  was  enraged,  as  only  a  man  can  be  who  is  en- 
trapped, and  demanded  at  once  of  Lady  Ara- 
bella to  be  let  out  of  the  glass  door,  when  he 
found  it  locked.  She  refused  to  tell  him  where 
the  key  was,  and  he  threatened  to  break  the 
glass  and  escape  that  way. 

"  Do  it  then,  if  you  wish,"  she  cried,  "  and 
rouse  the  house  and  the  neighborhood,  and  ruin 
me  if  you  will.  But  before  you  do  it,  read  this, 
101 


TL&  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

and  then  know  what  Arabella  Stormont  can  do 
for  the  man  she  loves ! " 

She  thrust  a  letter  into  his  hand,  and,  slip- 
ping out  of  the  door  to  the  corridor,  as  swiftly 
and  silently  as  a  swallow  in  its  flight,  she  locked 
it  after  her;  Overton  was  a  prisoner  in  Sir 
Peter's  room.  He  tore  the  letter  open,  read  the 
few  lines  it  contained,  and  then  threw  it  down 
with  an  oath.  The  next  minute  he  caught  sight 
of  me;  in  my  surprise  I  had  forgotten  all  my 
precautions,  and  had  half  arisen. 

"  You  hound !  "  he  said.  "  Are  you  in  this 
infernal  plot  ? "  And  he  kicked  the  boat- 
cloaks  off  me. 

"  I  am  not,"  said  I  coolly,  recalled  to  myself 
by  the  term  he  had  used  toward  me ;  "  and  neith- 
er am  I  a  hound.  You  will  kindly  remember  to 
account  to  me  for  that  expression,  Captain 
Overton." 

"  Read  that,"  he  cried,  throwing  Lady  Ara- 
bella's letter  toward  me.  I  think  he  meant  not 
to  do  a  dishonorable  thing  in  giving  me  the 
letter  to  read,  but  it  was  an  act  of  involuntary 
rage. 

It  read  thus :  — 

102 


Toe  Loves  of  tic  Lacly  Arabella 

"  I  know  that  you  were  to  fight  Mr.  Vernon 
at  eight  o'clock  this  morning,  therefore  I  be- 
guiled you  here;  for  your  life  is  dearer  to  me 
than  anything  in  heaven  and  earth;  and  I  will 
not  let  you  out  until  that  very  hour,  when  it  will 
be  too  late  for  you  to  get  to  Twickenham. 
You  will  not  dare  to  raise  a  commotion  in  the 
house  at  this  hour,  which  would  ruin  us  both. 
But  by  the  jeopardy  in  which  I  placed  myself 
this  night,  you  will  know  how  true  is  the  love  of 
"  ARABELLA  STORMONT." 

I  confess  that  the  reading  of  this  letter  made 
me  a  partizan  of  Overton;  for  surely  no  more 
unhandsome  trick  was  ever  played  upon  a  gen- 
tleman. 

There  was  nothing  for  it  but  to  sit  down  and 
wait  for  eight  o'clock.  Sir  Peter's  family  were 
late  risers,  and  there  was  little  danger  of  detec- 
tion at  that  hour.  So  we  sat,  and  gazed  at  each 
other,  mute  before  the  mystery  of  the  good  and 
evil  in  a  woman's  love.  I  confess  the  experience 
was  new  to  me. 

"  You  will  bear  me  witness,  Mr.  Glyn,"  said 
Overton,  "  that  I  am  detained  here  against  my 
will ;  but  I  think  it  a  piece  of  good  fortune  that 
you  are  detained  with  me." 

"  I  will  bear  witness  to  nothing,  sir,"  I  re- 
103 


plied,  "  until  you  have  given  me  satisfaction  for 
calling  me  a  hound,  just  now." 

"  Dear  sir,  pray  forget  that  hasty  expres- 
sion. In  my  rage  and  amazement,  just  now,  I 
would  have  called  the  commander-in-chief  of  the 
forces  a  hound.  Pray  accept  every  apology 
that  a  gentleman  can  make.  I  was  quite  beside 
myself,  as  you  must  have  seen." 

I  saw  that  he  was  very  anxious  to  conciliate 
me;  for  upon  my  testimony  alone  would  rest 
the  question  of  whether  he  voluntarily  or  in- 
voluntarily failed  to  appear  at  the  meeting  ar- 
ranged for  eight  o'clock. 

I  also  perceived  the  strength  of  my  position, 
and  a  dazzling  idea  presented  itself  to  my  mind. 

"I  will  agree,"  said  I,  "  to  testify  to  every- 
thing in  your  favor,  if  you  will  but  promise  me 
not  to  —  not  to  — "  I  hesitated,  ashamed  to 
express  my  womanish  fears  for  Giles  Vernon's 
life;  but  he  seemed  to  read  my  thoughts. 

"  Do  you  mean,  not  to  do  Mr.  Vernon .  any 
harm  in  the  meeting  which  will,  of  course,  take 
place,  the  instant  it  can  be  arranged?  That  I 
promise  you ;  for  I  never  had  any  personal  ani- 
mosity toward  Mr.  Vernon.  His  blow,  like  my 
104 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lask  Arabella 

words  just  now,  was  the  outburst  of  passion, 
and  not  a  deliberate  insult." 

I  was  overjoyed  at  this;  and  as  I  sat,  grin- 
ning in  my  delight,  I  must  have  been  in  strong 
contrast  to  Overton,  in  the  very  blackness  of 
rage. 

The  minutes  dragged  slowly  on,  and  we  heard 
the  clock  strike  six  and  seven.  The  dim  light 
of  a  foggy  morning  stole  in  at  the  windows. 
Not  a  soul  was  stirring  in  the  house ;  but  on  the 
stroke  of  eight,  a  light  step  fluttered  near  the 
outer  door.  It  was  softly  unlocked,  and  Lady 
Arabella  entered,  carefully  locking  the  door  on 
the  inside,  after  her,  this  time.  In  the  ghostly 
half-light,  Overton  rose,  and  saluted  her  with 
much  ceremony. 

"  Lady  Arabella  Stormont,"  he  said,  "  you 
have  delayed  the  meeting  between  Mr.  Vernon 
and  myself  just  twenty-four  hours.  To  do  it, 
you  have  put  my  honor  in  jeopardy,  and  that 
I  shall  not  soon  forget.  I  beg  you  to  open  the 
glass  door,  and  allow  me  to  bid  you  farewell." 

She  stopped,  as  if  paralyzed  for  a  moment, 
when  I,  knowing  the  key  to  be  in  her  pocket, 
deftly  fished  it  out,  and  opened  the  door,  and 
105 


Overton  walked  out.  She  could  not  stop  me, 
—  I  was  too  quick  for  her, —  but  she  ran  after 
me,  and  fetched  me  a  box  on  the  ear,  which  did 
more  than  sting  my  cheek  and  my  pride.  It 
killed,  in  one  single  instant  of  time,  the  boyish 
love  I  had  had  for  her,  ever  since  the  first  hour 
I  had  seen  her.  I  own  I  was  afraid  to  retaliate 
as  a  gentleman  should,  by  kissing  her  violently ; 
but  dashing  on,  I  sped  down  the  steps  outside, 
after  Overton,  not  caring  to  remain  alone  with 
the  Lady  Arabella.  I  saw  her  no  more  that 
day,  nor  until  the  afternoon  of  the  next  day. 


106 


VI 

As  Overton  had  said,  the  meeting  was  delayed 
exactly  twenty-four  hours. 

My  courage  always  has  an  odd  way  of  disap- 
pearing when  I  am  expecting  to  use  it,  although 
I  must  say,  when  I  have  had  actual  occasion  for 
it,  I  have  always  found  it  easily  at  hand.  I 
can  not  deny  that  I  was  very  much  frightened 
for  Giles  on  the  morning  of  the  meeting,  and, 
to  add  to  my  misery,  I  heard  that  Overton  was 
considered  one  of  the  best  shots  in  England. 

The  dreary  breakfast  gulped  down;  the  post- 
chaise  rattling  up  to  the  door  —  I  had  hoped 
until  the  last  moment  that  it  would  not  come; 
the  bumping  along  the  road  in  the  cool,  bright 
summer  morning;  the  gruesome,  long,  narrow 
box  that  lay  on  the  front  seat  of  the  chaise; 
the  packet  of  letters  which  Giles  had  given  me 
and  which  seemed  to  weigh  a  hundred  tons  in 
my  pocket, —  all  these  were  so  many  horrors  to 
haunt  the  memory  for  ever.  But  I  must  say 
that,  apparently,  the  misery  was  all  mine;  for 
107 


TLc  Loves  of  tne  Lacy  Arabella 

I  never  saw  Giles  Vernon  show  so  much  as  by 
the  flicker  of  an  eyelash  that  he  was  disturbed 
in  any  way. 

About  half-way  from  the  meeting-ground  we 
left  the  highway  and  turned  into  a  by-road; 
and  scarcely  had  we  gone  half  a  mile  when  we 
almost  drove  into  a  broken-down  chaise,  and 
standing  on  the  roadside  among  the  furze 
bushes  were  the  coachman,  the  surgeon, —  a 
most  bloody-minded  man  I  always  believed  him, 
—  Mr.  Buxton,  and  Overton. 

Our  chaise  stopped,  and  Giles,  putting  his 
head  out  of  the  window,  said  pleasantly,  "  Good 
morning,  gentlemen;  you  have  had  an  accident, 
I  see." 

"  A  bad  one,"  replied  Mr.  Buxton,  who  saw 
that  their  chaise  was  beyond  help,  and  who,  as 
he  said  afterward,  was  playing  for  a  place  in 
our  chaise,  not  liking  to  walk  the  rest  of  the 
distance. 

Giles  jumped  out  and  so  did  I,  and  the  most 
courteous  greetings  were  exchanged. 

The   two   drivers,   as   experts,   examined   the 
broken  chaise,  and  agreed  there  was  no  patching 
it  up  for  service;  one  wheel  was  splintered. 
108 


Toe  Loves  of  tie  Lacbr  Arabella 

Mr.  Buxton  looked  at  Giles  meaningly,  and 
then  at  me,  and  Giles  whispered  to  me, — 

"  Offer  to  take  'em  up.  By  Jupiter,  they 
shall  see  we  are  no  shirkers." 

Which  I  did,  and,  to  my  amazement,  in  a  few 
moments  we  were  all  lumbering  along  the  road ; 
Overton  and  Mr.  Buxton  on  the  back  seat,  and 
Giles  and  I  with  our  backs  to  the  horses,  while 
the  surgeon  was  alongside  the  coachman  on  the 
box. 

Nothing  could  exceed  the  politeness  between 
the  two  principals,  about  the  seats  as  about 
everything  else.  Overton  was  with  difficulty 
persuaded  to  take  the  back  seat.  Mr.  Buxton 
seated  himself  there  without  any  introduction. 
(I  hope  it  will  never  again  be  my  fortune  to 
negotiate  so  delicate  an  affair  as  a  meeting 
between  gentlemen,  with  one  so  much  my  supe- 
rior in  rank  as  Mr.  Buxton.) 

"  May  I  ask,  Mr.  Overton,  if  you  prefer  the 
window  down  or  up  ?  "  asked  Giles,  with  great 
deference. 

"  Either,  dear  sir,"  responded  Overton.  "  I 
believe  it  was  up  when  you  kindly  invited  us 
to  enter." 

109 


TLc  Loves  of  tlie  Laci^  Arabella 

"  True ;  but  you  may  be  sensitive  to  the  air, 
and  may  catch  cold." 

At  which  Mr.  Buxton  grinned  in  a  heartless 
manner.  The  window  remained  up. 

We  were  much  crowded  with  the  two  pistol- 
cases  and  the  surgeon's  box  of  instruments, 
which  to  me  appeared  more  appalling  than  the 
pistols. 

At  last  we  reached  the  spot, — a  small,  flat 
place  under  a  sweetly-blooming  hawthorn  hedge, 
with  some  verdant  oaks  at  either  end. 

Giles  and  Overton  were  so  scrupulous  about 
taking  precedence  of  each  other  in  getting  out 
of  the  chaise,  that  I  had  strong  hopes  the  day 
would  pass  before  they  came  to  a  decision;  but 
Mr.  Buxton  finally  got  out  himself  and  pulled 
his  man  after  him,  and  then  we  were  soon 
marking  off  the  ground,  and  I  was  feeling  that 
mortal  sickness  which  had  attacked  me  the  first 
time  I  was  under  fire  in  the  Ajax. 

Overton  won  the  toss  for  position,  and  at 
that  I  could  have  lain  down  and  wept. 

Our  men  were  placed  twenty  paces  apart, 
with  their  backs  to  each  other.  At  the  word 
"  one,"  they  were  to  turn,  advance  and  fire  be- 
110 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

tween  the  words  "  two "  and  "  three."  This 
seemed  to  me  the  most  murderous  arrangement 
I  had  ever  heard  of. 

The  stories  I  had  so  lately  heard  about  Over- 
ton's  proficiency  with  the  pistol  made  me  think, 
even  if  he  did  not  kill  Giles  intentionally,  he 
would  attempt  some  expert  trick  with  the  pistol, 
which  would  do  the  business  equally  well.  I 
knew  Giles  to  be  a  very  poor  shot,  and  con- 
cluded that  he,  through  awkwardness,  would 
probably  put  an  end  to  Overton,  and  I  regarded 
them  both  as  doomed  men. 

I  shall  never  forget  my  feelings  as  we  were 
placing  our  men,  or  after  Mr.  Buxton  and  I  had 
retired  to  a  place  under  the  hedge.  Just  as  we 
had  selected  our  places,  Giles,  looking  over  his 
shoulder,  said  in  his  usual  cool,  soft  voice, — 

"  Don't  you  think,  gentlemen,  you  had  better 
move  two  or  three  furlongs  off?  Mr.  Overton 
may  grow  excited  and  fire  wild." 

I  thought  this  a  most  dangerous  as  well  as 
foolish  speech,  and  calculated  to  irritate  Over- 
ton;  and  for  the  first  time  I  saw  a  gleam  of 
anger  in  his  eye,  which  had  hitherto  been  mild, 
and  even  sad.  For  I  believed  then,  and  knew 
111 


Tie.  Loves  of  tie  Ladk  Arabella 

afterward,  that  his  mind  was  far  from  easy  on 
the  subject  of  dueling.  I  wish  to  say  here  that 
I  also  believe,  had  he  been  fully  convinced  that 
dueling  was  wrong,  he  would  have  declined  to 
fight,  no  matter  what  the  consequences  had  been ; 
for  I  never  knew  a  man  with  more  moral  cour- 
age. But  at  the  time,  although  his  views  were 
changing  on  the  subject,  they  were  not  wholly 
changed. 

Mr.  Buxton,  without  noticing  Giles'  speech, 
coughed  once  or  twice,  and  then  waited  two  or 
three  minutes  before  giving  the  word. 

The  summer  sun  shone  brilliantly,  turning 
the  distant  river  to  a  silver  ribbon.  A  thrush 
rioted  musically  in  the  hawthorn  hedge.  All 
things  spoke  of  life  and  hope,  but  to  my  sink- 
ing heart  insensate  Nature  only  mocked  us.  I 
heard,  as  in  a  dream,  the  words  "  One,  two, 
three  "  slowly  uttered  by  Mr.  Buxton,  and  saw, 
still  as  in  a  dream,  both  men  turn  and  raise 
their  pistols. 

Overton's  was  discharged  first;  then,  as  he 
stood  like  a  man  in  marble  waiting  for  his 
adversary's  fire,  Giles  raised  his  pistol  and,  tak- 
ing deliberate  aim!  at  the  bird  still  singing  in 


Overton  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed.     Page  nj 


Tic  Loves  or  the  Lacy  Arabella 

the  hedge,  brought  it  down.  It  was  a  mere 
lucky  shot,  but  Overton  took  off  his  hat  and 
bowed  to  the  ground,  and  Giles  responded  by 
taking  off  his  hat  and  showing  a  hole  through 
the  brim. 

"  You  see,  Mr.  Glyn,"  said  Overton,  "  I  have 
done  according  to  my  promise.  It  was  not  my 
intention  to  kill  Mr.  Vernon,  but  only  to 
frighten  him," —  which  speech  Mr.  Buxton  and 
I  considered  as  a  set-off  to  Giles'  speech  just 
before  shots  were  exchanged. 

The  two  principals  remained  where  they  were, 
while  Mr.  Buxton  and  I  retired  behind  the  hedge 
to  confer  —  or  rather  for  Mr.  Buxton  to  say  to 
me, — • 

"  Another  shot  would  be  damned  nonsense. 
My  man  is  satisfied,  or  shall  be,  else  I  am  a 
Dutch  trooper.  Certainly  you  have  nothing  to 
complain  of." 

I  was  only  too  happy  to  accept  this  solution, 
but  more  out  of  objection  to  being  browbeaten 
by  Mr.  Buxton  than  anything  else,  I  said, — 

"  We  shall  require  an  explanation  of  your 
principal's  observation  just  now,  sir." 

"  Shall  you? "  angrily  asked  Mr.  Buxton, 
113 


Tnc  Loves  or  tne  Laqy  Arabella 

exactly  in  the  tone  he  used  when  the  carpenter's 
mate  complained  that  the  j  ack-o'-the-dust  had 
cribbed  his  best  saw.  "  Then  I  shall  call  your 
man  to  account  in  regard  to  his  late  observation, 
and  we  can  keep  them  popping  away  at  each 
other  all  day.  But  this  is  no  slaughter-pen, 
Mr.  Glyn,  nor  am  I  the  ship's  butcher,  and  I 
shall  take  my  man  back  to  town  and  give  him 
a  glass  of  spirits  and  some  breakfast,  and  I 
advise  you  to  do  the  same.  You  are  very 
young,  Mr.  Glyn,  and  you  still  need  to  know 
a  thing  or  two."  Then,  advancing  from  behind 
the  hedge,  he  said  in  the  dulcet  tone  he  used 
when  the  admiral  asked  him  to  have  wine, — 

"  Gentlemen,  Mr.  Glyn  and  myself,  after 
conferring,  have  agreed  that  the  honor  of  our 
principals  is  fully  established,  and  that  the  con- 
troversy is  completely  at  an  end.  Allow  me 
to  congratulate  you  both," —  and  there  was  a 
general  hand-shaking  all  around.  I  noticed 
that  the  coachman,  who  was  attentively  watch- 
ing the  performance,  looked  slightly  disap- 
pointed at  the  turn  of  affairs. 

Straightway,  we  all  climbed  into  the  chaise, 
and  I  think  I  shall  be  believed  when  I  say  that 
114 


our  return  to  town  was  more  cheerful  than  our 
departure  had  been. 

We  all  agreed  to  dine  together  at  Mivart's 
the  next  night,  and  I  saw  no  reason  to  believe 
that  there  was  any  remnant  of  ill  feeling  be- 
tween the  two  late  combatants. 

I  returned  to  Berkeley  Square  that  afternoon, 
with  much  uneasiness  concerning  my  meeting 
and  future  intercourse  with  Lady  Arabella;  for 
I  had  not  seen  her  since  the  occurrence  in  Sir 
Peter's  study.  Although  my  affection  for  her 
was  for  ever  killed  by  that  box  on  the  ear  she 
gave  me,  yet  no  man  can  see  a  woman  shamed 
before  him  without  pain,  and  the  anticipation 
of  Lady  Arabella's  feelings  when  she  saw  me 
troubled  me.  But  this  was  what  actually  hap- 
pened when  we  met.  Lady  Arabella  was  sit- 
ting in  the  Chinese  drawing-room,  her  lap-dog 
in  her  arms,  surrounded  by  half  a  dozen  fops. 
Lady  Hawkshaw  had  left  the  room  for  a 
moment,  and  Arabella  had  taken  the  oppor- 
tunity of  showing  her  trick  of  holding  out  her 
dog's  paws  and  kissing  his  nose,  which  she 
called  measuring  love-ribbon.  This  perform- 
ance never  failed  to  throw  gentlemen  into  ecsta- 
115 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

sies.  Daphne  sat  near,  with  her  work  in  her 
lap  and  a  book  on  the  table  by  her,  smiling 
rather  disdainfully.  I  do  not  think  the  cousins 
loved  each  other. 

On  my  appearance  in  the  drawing-room,  I 
scarcely  dared  look  toward  Lady  Arabella;  but 
she  called  out  familiarly, — 

"Come  here,  Dicky!"  (her  habit  of  calling 
me  Dicky  annoyed  me  very  much),  "  and  let  me 
show  you  how  I  kiss  Fido's  nose ;  and  if  you  are 
a  good  boy,  and  will  tell  me  all  about  the  meet- 
ing this  morning,  perhaps  I  may  hold  your  paws 
out  and  kiss  your  nose," —  at  which  all  the 
gentlemen  present  laughed  loudly.  I  never  was 
so  embarrassed  in  my  life,  and  my  chagrin  was 
increased  when,  suddenly  dropping  the  dog,  she 
rushed  at  me,  seized  my  hands,  and,  holding 
them  off  at  full  arm's  length,  imprinted  a  sound- 
ing smack  upon  my  nose,  and  laughingly  cried 
out,  "  One  yard !  "  (  Smack  on  my  nose  again. ) 
"Two  yards!"  (Smack.)  "Three  yards!" 
(  Smack. ) 

At  this  juncture  I  recovered  my  presence  of 
mind  enough  to  seize  her  around  the  waist,  and 
return  her  smacks  with  interest  full  in  the 

116 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

mouth.  And  at  this  stage  of  the  proceedings 
Lady  Hawkshaw  appeared  upon  the  scene. 

In  an  instant  an  awful  hush  fell  upon  us. 
For  my  part  I  felt  my  knees  sinking  under  me, 
and  I  had  that  feeling  of  mortal  sickness  which 
I  had  felt  in  my  first  sea-fight,  and  at  the 
instant  I  thought  my  friend's  life  in  jeopardy. 
Lady  Arabella  stood  up,  for  once,  confused. 
The  gentlemen  all  retired  gracefully  to  the  wall, 
in  order  not  to  interrupt  the  proceedings,  and 
Daphne  fixed  her  eyes  upon  me,  sparkling  with 
indignation. 

Lady  Hawkshaw's  voice,  when  she  spoke, 
seemed  to  come  from  the  tombs  of  the  Pha- 
raohs. 

"  What  is  this  countrytom  I  see?  "  she  asked. 
And  nobody  answered  a  word. 

James,  the  tall  footman,  stood  behind  her; 
and  to  him  she  turned,  saying  in  a  tone  like 
thunder, — 

"  Jeames,  go  and  tell  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw 
that  I  desire  his  presence  immediately  upon  a 
matter  of  the  greatest  importance." 

The  footman  literally  ran  down  stairs,  and 
presently  Sir  Peter  came  puffing  up  from  the 
117 


lower  regions.  Lady  Arabella  had  recovered 
herself  then  enough  to  hum  a  little  tune  and 
to  pat  the  floor  with  her  satin  slipper. 

Sir  Peter  walked  in,  surveyed  us  all,  and 
turned  pale.  I  verily  believe  he  thought  Ara- 
bella had  been  caught  cheating  at  cards. 

"  Sir  Peter,"  said  Lady  Hawkshaw,  in  the 
same  awful  voice,  "  I  unexpectedly  entered  this 
room  a  few  moments  ago,  and  the  sight  that 
met  my  eyes  was  Arabella  struggling  in  the 
arms  of  this  young  ruffian,  Richard  Glyn,  who 
was  kissing  her  with  the  greatest  fury  imagi- 
nable." 

Sir  Peter  looked  at  me  very  hard,  and  after 
a  moment  said, — 

"  Have  you  nothing  to  say  for  yourself, 
young  gentleman  ?  " 

"  Sir,"  I  replied,  trying  to  assume  a  firm 
tone,  "  I  will  only  say  that  Lady  Arabella, 
meaning  to  treat  me  like  her  lap-dog,  kissed  me 
on  the  nose,  as  she  does  that  beast  of  hers ;  and 
as  an  officer  and  a  gentleman,  I  felt  called  upon 
to  pay  her  back;  and  for  every  smack  she  gave 
me  on  my  nose,  I  gave  her  two  back  in  the 
mouth,  to  show  her  that  an  officer  in  his 
118 


He  Loves  of  tic  Lac^  Arabella 

Majesty's  sea-service  is  a  man,  and  not  a  lap- 
dog." 

"  Do  you  hear  that,  Sir  Peter?  "  asked  Lady 
Hawkshaw,  with  terrible  earnestness.  "  He 
does  not  deny  his  guilt.  What  think  you  of 
his  conduct?  " 

"Think,  ma'am!"  shouted  Sir  Peter,  "I 
think  if  he  had  done  anything  else,  it  would 
have  been  clean  against  the  articles  of  war,  and 
I  myself  would  have  seen  that  he  was  kicked 
out  of  his  Majesty's  service.  I  shall  send  for 
my  solicitor,  to-morrow  morning,  to  put  a  codicil 
to  my  will,  giving  Richard  Glyn  a  thousand 
pounds  at  my  decease." 

At  this  the  gentlemen  roared,  and  Lady  Ara- 
bella, seizing  the  lap-dog,  hid  her  face  in  his 
long  hair,  while  even  Daphne  smiled  and 
blushed.  As  for  Lady  Hawkshaw,  for  once  she 
was  disconcerted  and  walked  out,  glaring  over 
her  shoulder  at  Sir  Peter. 

There  was  much  laughter,  Sir  Peter  joining 
in;  but  after  a  while  the  gentlemen  left,  and 
Sir  Peter  went  out,  and  Daphne,  who  I  saw  was 
disgusted  with  my  conduct,  walked  haughtily 
away,  in  spite  of  Lady  Arabella's  playful  pro- 
119 


The  Loves  or  tie  Laq^  Arabella 

tests  that  she  was  afraid  to  remain  alone  in  the 
room  with  me. 

One  thing  had  puzzled  me  extremely,  and 
that  was  her  calmness,  and  even  gaiety,  when 
she  had  no  means  of  knowing  how  Overton  had 
come  off  in  the  meeting,  and  I  said  to  her, — 

"  How  did  you  know,  or  do  you  know, 
whether  Philip  Overton  and  Giles  Vernon  are 
alive  at  this  moment  ?  " 

"  By  your  face,  Dicky,"  she  answered,  trying 
to  give  me  a  fillip  on  the  nose,  which  I  success- 
fully resisted.  "  I  was  in  agony  until  I  saw 
your  face.  Then  I  gave  one  great  breath  of 
joy  and  relief,  and  my  play  with  my  lap-dog, 
which  had  been  torture  to  me,  became  delight. 
But  tell  me  the  particulars." 

"No,  Madam,"  said  I;  "I  tell  you  noth- 
ing." 

This  angered  her,  and  she  said,  after  a  mo- 
ment,— 

"  I  presume  you  will  take  an  early  opportu- 
nity of  telling  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw 
that  I  saw  Philip  Overton  alone  in  this  house,  at 
five  o'clock  yesterday  morning?  " 

"  I  am  quite  unaware,  Madam,"  replied  I, 
120 


Tic  Loves  of  tLe  Lady  Arabella 

stung  by  nils.  "  of  anything  in  my  character 
or  conduct  which  could  induce  you  to  think 
such  a  thing  of  me." 

"  You  made  me  no  promise  not  to  tell,"  she 
said. 

"  Certainly  not.  But  some  things  are  con- 
sidered universally  binding  among  gentlemen, 
and  one  is  to  tell  nothing  to  the  disadvantage 
of  a  woman.  I  neither  made,  nor  will  make,  a 
promise  about  that  affair;  but  if  it  is  ever 
known,  it  will  be  you  or  Overton  who  tells  it, 
not  I." 

And  I  walked  out  of  the  room. 

I  speedily  found,  after  that,  my  life  in  Berke- 
ley Square  uncomfortable.  I  felt  constrained 
before  Lady  Arabella,  and,  what  seemed  strange 
to  me,  little  Daphne,  who  had  hitherto  treated 
me  with  greatest  kindness,  seemed  to  take  a 
spite  at  me,  and  her  gibes  and  cuts  were  hard 
to  bear.  Neither  Sir  Peter  nor  Lady  Hawkshaw 
noted  these  things,  but  they  were  strong  enough 
to  impel  me  to  ask  Sir  Peter  to  look  out  for 
a  ship  for  me  at  the  Admiralty. 

I  saw  Giles  Vernon  every  day,  and  he  con- 
tinued to  come,  with  unabated  assurance,  to 


The  Loves  of  tne  La<i^  Arabella 

Berkeley  Square.  We  were  not  anxious  that 
the  fact  of  the  duel  should  leak  out,  and  Over- 
ton  was  especially  desirous  to  keep  it  quiet. 
Of  course,  he  came  no  more  to  Berkeley  Square, 
and  withdrew  more  and  more  from  his  former 
associates.  He  began  to  consort  much  with 
persons  of  the  John  Wesley  persuasion,  spend- 
ing much  of  his  time,  when  not  on  duty,  at 
Oxford,  where  the  Wesleyans  were  numerous 
at  the  time.  I  noticed  that  Lady  Arabella 
treated  Giles,  and  me,  also,  with  more  civility 
than  she  had  hitherto  shown.  I  could  not  think 
it  sincere,  but  attributed  it  to  a  natural  desire 
to  conciliate  those  who  knew  so  much  to  her 
disadvantage.  But  that  she  made  no  effort  to 
overcome  her  infatuation  for  Overton,  I  very 
soon  had  proof.  Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  soon  after 
this,  had  the  assurance  to  present  himself  in 
Berkeley  Square,  and  rare  sport  it  was.  Lady 
Hawkshaw,  Lady  Arabella,  Daphne,  myself,  and 
one  or  two  other  persons  were  in  the  Chinese 
drawing-room  when  he  was  ushered  in. 

Lady  Hawkshaw  and  Sir  Thomas  were  old 
acquaintances,  and  had  been  at  feud  for  more 
than  thirty  years,  neither  side  asking  or  giving 
122 


The  Loves  of  tie  La<^  Arabella 

quarter.  Sir  Thomas  had  a  shrewd  wit  of  his 
own,  and  was  more  nearly  a  match  for  Lady 
Hawkshaw  than  any  one  I  had  yet  seen.  He 
opened  the  ball  by  remarking  on  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw's  improved  appearance,  partly  due,  he 
thought,  to  her  triumph  in  getting  the  K.  C.  B. 
for  Sir  Peter.  This  nettled  Lady  Hawkshaw 
extremely,  and  she  retaliated  by  telling  Sir 
Thomas  that  he  looked  younger  than  he  did 
when  she  first  knew  him,  thirty  years  ago.  As 
Sir  Thomas  hated  any  allusion  to  his  age,  this 
shot  told. 

"  And  allow  me  to  congratulate  you,  Sir 
Thomas,"  added  Lady  Hawkshaw,  "  upon  your 
very  promising  cousin,  Mr.  Giles  Vernon.  Sir 
Peter  has  the  highest  opinion  of  him,  and  he 
has  won  the  favor  of  the  bong-tong  to  an  ex- 
traordinary degree." 

"  He  may  have  won  the  favor  of  the  bong- 
tong,"  replied  Sir  Thomas,  impudently  mimick- 
ing Lady  Hawkshaw's  French,  "  but  he  has  not 
yet  succeeded  in  winning  my  favor." 

"  That's  a  pity,"  said  Lady  Hawkshaw ;  "  but 
it  doesn't  signify,  I  dare  say.  It  will  not  keep 
you  alive  a  day  longer.  And  there  is  your  other 
123 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

cousin  —  Captain  Overton  of  the  Guards.  He 
is  what  so  few  of  our  young  men  are,  pious  and 
God-fearing." 

"  And  a  sniveling,  John  Wesley  Methodist 
besides,"  snarled  Sir  Thomas,  much  exasperated. 

"  Bless  me,  Sir  Thomas,"  cried  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw,  "  don't  be  so  hard  on  those  worthy  people, 
the  Methodists." 

I  own  this  surprised  me,  for  if  there  was 
anything  on  earth  upon  which  Lady  Hawkshaw 
was  uncompromising,  it  was  Church  and  State; 
and,  excellent  woman  though  she  was,  I  believe 
she  would  have  been  rather  glad  to  make  one 
big  bonfire  of  all  the  dissenters  in  England. 

Sir  Thomas  was  far  from  insensible  to  Lady 
Arabella's  charms,  and,  after  a  further  exchange 
of  hostilities  with  Lady  Hawkshaw,  turned  to 
Arabella.  She  smiled  upon  him,  and  seemed 
anxious  to  conciliate  him ;  and  in  a  little  while  I 
caught  enough  of  their  conversation  to  know 
that  she  was  telling  him  of  the  meeting  between 
Giles  and  Overton,  and  representing  that  it  had 
been  forced  upon  Overton  by  the  insults  of  Giles 
Vernon.  Sir  Thomas*  response  to  her  tale  was 
that  he  did  not  give  a  damn  for  either  of  them, 
124 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lacjy  Arabella 

and  if  both  had  bit  the  dust  he  should  not  have 
been  sorry. 

When  Sir  Thomas  left,  Lady  Hawkshaw 
called  the  tall  footman. 

"  Jeames,"  she  said,  "  when  that  —  person 
calls  again,  the  ladies  are  not  at  home.  Do 
you  understand?  " 

James  understood  perfectly,  in  spite  of  Lady 
Arabella's  scowls. 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  a  young  man 
of  Giles  Vernon's  spirit  had  not  been  able  to  go 
through  with  his  prize-money  and  run  pretty 
considerably  in  debt  in  five  or  six  weeks  in 
London,  and  one  morning,  some  days  after  this, 
when  I  went  to  see  Giles  at  his  lodgings,  I  found 
the  bailiffs  in  possession.  Giles,  however,  was 
as  merry  as  a  grig,  because  that  very  morning 
he  had  got  an  appointment  to  the  Belvidera 
frigate. 

It  was  not  much  after  having  served  in 
the  Ajax,  but  it  meant  leaving  that  uncertain 
and  trying  element,  dry  land,  for  another  ele- 
ment on  which  Giles  was  much  more  at  home, 
to  wit,  the  blue  sea.  So  he  sent  out  for  a  pot  of 
porter,  and  he  and  I,  together  with  the  bailiffs, 
125 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

drank  to  the  Belvidera;  and  I  swore,  then  and 
there,  that  go  with  him  I  would.  For,  in  the 
excess  of  my  affection  for  Giles,  I  would  have 
taken  almost  any  service  to  be  with  him.  The 
frigates,  too,  were  more  in  the  way  of  activity, 
as  the  enemy  was  wary  of  meeting  our  ships 
of  the  line,  but  the  frigates  could  go  hunting 
after  him.  So,  when  I  returned  to  Berkeley 
Square  that  day,  I  begged  Sir  Peter  to  get  me 
a  berth  in  the  Belvidera.  He  was  pleased  with 
my  spirit,  and  the  very  next  day  he  went  to 
the  Admiralty  for  me.  The  complement  was 
full,  but,  luckily  for  me,  one  of  the  juniors  got 
a  billet  more  to  his  liking,  and  Sir  Peter,  being 
on  the  spot,  got  me  the  vacancy,  and  I  was 
ordered  to  report  at  once  at  Plymouth. 

It  took  me  but  a  day  or  two  to  get  my  outfit 
and  make  ready  to  start.  Lady  Hawkshaw 
showed  me  great  kindness  then,  and  actually 
allowed  me  to  have  a  considerable  sum  of  my 
own  money.  Lady  Arabella  treated  me  with  her 
usual  indifference,  and,  on  the  day  I  was  to  go, 
bade  me  a  careless  adieu. 

When  the  post-chaise  was  at  the  door  and  I 
went  to  the  Chinese  drawing-room  to  tell  Lady 
126 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  Lacbr  Arabella 

Hawkshaw  and  Sir  Peter  good-by,  Daphne  was 
there  with  them,  and  she  looked  as  if  she  had 
been  weeping.  Sir  Peter  gave  me  a  letter  to 
my  new  captain,  Vere,  and  some  words  of  en- 
couragement. Lady  Hawkshaw  delivered  a 
homily  to  me  on  my  duty,  which  I  received  out 
of  respect  for  her  real  excellence  of  heart,  and 
thanked  her  in  a  manner  which  made  Sir  Peter 
my  friend  for  life.  Daphne  said  not  a  word 
when  I  took  her  hand,  but  handing  me  a  little 
parcel  ran  out  of  the  room.  I  afterward  found 
it  to  be  a  little  housewife  made  by  her  own 
hands. 

I  went  down  to  the  chaise,  puzzled  at  her  con- 
duct, but,  looking  up  for  the  last  time  to  the 
windows,  I  saw  her  peering  from  behind  a  cur- 
tain. I  raised  the  parcel  to  my  lips,  and,  as  she 
saw  it,  a  smile  broke  over  her  face.  My  last 
glimpse  of  her  was  like  an  April  day, —  she  was 
all  smiles  and  tears, —  and  it  was  destined  to  re- 
main in  my  memory. 

Giles  Vernon  was  waiting  for  me  at  the? 
corner  of  the  street.  We  were  to  make  the 
journey  to  Plymouth  together. 

"  Well,"  he  cried,  when  we  found  ourselves 
127 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

rolling  along  to  meet  the  coach,  "  I  have  had 
my  cake  and  eaten  it." 

"  How  I  envy  you ! "  I  said  bitterly.  "  I 
have  not  had  my  cake.  Every  shilling  of  my 
prize-money  is  in  bank,  except  about  two  hun- 
dred pounds." 

"  Poor  chap ! "  answered  Giles  feelingly. 
"  How  much  more  of  life  have  I  seen  in  London 
than  you!  I  have  seen  everything,  including 
that  queen  of  hearts,  Lady  Arabella  Stormont. 
She  has  treated  me  cruelly,  the  jade!  But  I 
will  bring  her  to  my  hand  at  last,  that  I  swear 
to  you." 

I  longed  that  he  might  know  of  that  episode 
with  Overton  in  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw's  cubby- 
hole at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

We  had  a  pleasant  journey  to  Plymouth,  and 
were  troubled  with  few  regrets  at  leaving  Lon- 
don. We  expected,  in  the  foolishness  of  youth, 
to  capture  many  more  such  prizes  as  the  In- 
domptable  and  Xantippe.  The  Belvidera  was 
nearly  ready,  and  in  a  few  weeks  we  sailed  on 
our  second  cruise.  I  shall  not  give  the  par- 
ticulars of  that  cruise.  It  was  such  an  one 
as  all  the  officers  of  his  Majesty's  service  were 
128 


engaged  in,  during  those  eventful  years.  We 
were  constantly  at  sea;  we  kept  a  tireless  look- 
out for  our  enemies,  and  hunted  and  pursued 
them  into  their  own  harbors.  We  never  slept 
for  more  than  four  hours  at  a  time,  in  all  our 
cruising.  We  lived  on  beef  and  biscuit  for 
months  at  a  time;  sometimes  we  had  scurvy 
in  the  ship,  and  sometimes  we  did  not.  We 
struggled  with  mighty  gales,  that  blew  us  hun- 
dreds and  even  thousands  of  miles  out  of  our 
course;  and  we  sweltered  in  calms  that  tried 
men's  souls.  In  all  that  time,  we  watched 
night  and  day  for  the  enemy,  and,  when  found, 
chased  him,  and  never  failed  to  get  alongside 
when  it  was  possible;  and  we  fought  him  with 
the  greatest  good-will.  We  had  good  and  ill 
fortune  with  the  ship,  but  her  colors  were  never 
lowered.  And  it  was  five  years  before  we  set 
foot  in  London  town  again. 

Only  a  year  of  that  time  was  Giles  Vernon 
with  me.  He  then  got  promotion  which  took 
him  out  of  the  ship.  I  had  the  extreme  good 
fortune  to  be  with  Nelson  at  the  Nile.  On  that 
great  day,  as  sailing-master  of  the  Belvidera,  I 
took  the  frigate  around  the  head  of  Admiral 
129 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

Villeneuve's  line, —  she  was  the  leading  ship, — 
and  placed  her  where  she  was  enabled  to  fire 
the  first  raking  broadside  of  the  battle.  I  got 
a  wound  in  the  forehead  which  left  a  scar  that 
remains  to  this  day;  but  I  also  received  the 
personal  thanks  of  my  Lord  Nelson,  which  I 
shall  ever  esteem  as  the  greatest  honor  of  my 
life.  I  had  heard  nothing  of  Giles  for  nearly 
a  year,  when,  among  Admiral  Villeneuve's 
officers,  I  found  one,  a  young  lieutenant  like 
myself,  who  told  me  that  Giles  had  been  cap- 
tured, while  on  a  boat  expedition,  and  was  then 
in  prison  at  Dunkerque. 

I  wrote  him  a  dozen  letters  at  least,  by  officers 
who  were  paroled;  and  when  the  ship  was  paid 
off,  the  following  spring,  I  lost  no  time  in 
getting  to  London,  and  using  what  little  power 
I  had  in  trying  to  have  him  exchanged.  Sir 
Peter  was  in  great  favor  at  the  Admiralty. 
As  soon  as  I  reached  London,  I  went  imme- 
diately to  call  in  Berkeley  Square.  My  Lady 
Hawkshaw  was  at  home,  and  received  me  in 
great  state,  black  feathers  and  all;  and  with 
her  sat  Daphne  Carmichael. 

I  believe  Lady  Hawkshaw  was  really  glad 
130 


Tic  Loves  of  die  Lac^  Arabella 

to  see  me;  but  Daphne,  after  speaking  to  me, 
remained  with  her  eyes  fixed  on  her  embroidery. 
I  noted,  however,  that  she  was  a  very  charming 
girl,  and  her  eyes,  under  her  long,  dark  lashes, 
were  full  of  fire  and  sweetness.  But  she  had 
not,  and  never  could  have,  the  glorious  beauty 
of  Lady  Arabella  Stormont.  Lady  Hawkshaw 
demanded  of  me  a  particular  account  of  my 
whole  cruise,  and  everything  that  had  happened 
at  the  battle  of  the  Nile.  This  I  gave,  to  the 
best  of  my  ability.  She  then  invited,  or,  rather, 
commanded  me  to  take  up  my  quarters  in 
Berkeley  Square,  and  told  me  that  I  had  three 
thousand  and  ten  pounds,  nineteen  shillings  and 
seven-pence  to  my  credit  in  bank. 

After  this,  she  was  called  upon  to  leave  the 
room  for  a  moment,  and  I  civilly  inquired  of 
Daphne  how  Lady  Arabella  was. 

"  She  is  well,"  responded  Daphne,  rather 
tartly,  I  thought ;  "  and  as  devoted  to  Captain 
Overton  as  ever.  You  know  Arabella  ever 
liked  him  rather  more  than  he  liked  her."  At 
which  ungenerous  speech,  I  said  one  word, 
"  Fie !  "  and  Daphne,  coloring  to  the  roots  of 
her  hair,  yet  attempted  to  defend  herself. 
131 


TLc  Loves  of  tne  Laqy  Arabella 

"  I  only  tell  you  what  all  the  world  says, 
and  so  say  my  uncle  and  aunt.  Arabella  could 
have  married  a  dozen  times, —  she  is  all  of 
twenty-one,  you  know, —  and  married  very 
splendidly,  but  she  will  not.  Sir  Peter  rages, 
and  swears  that  he  will  marry  her  off  in  spite 
of  herself;  but  Arabella  is  her  own  mistress 
now,  and  laughs  at  Sir  Peter." 

"  And  does  she  still  play  cards  ?  " 

Daphne  raised  her  eyes.  It  seemed  to  give 
that  otherwise  sweet  girl  positive  pleasure  to 
call  over  Lady  Arabella's  faults. 

"  Yes,"  she  said.  "  Loo,  lansquenet  —  any- 
thing by  which  money  can  be  lost  or  won. 
Three  times  a  week  she  goes  to  the  Duchess 
of  Auchester's,  where  play  is  high.  We  go 
there  to-night;  but  I  do  not  play." 

I  had  not  thought  there  was  so  much  malice 
in  Daphne,  until  that  conversation. 

I  left  my  adieux  for  Lady  Hawkshaw,  and 
repaired  to  the  Admiralty,  where  Sir  Peter 
happened  to  be,  that  day.  I  explained  that  I 
should  have  come  to  him  at  once,  but  for  my 
inordinate  wish  to  see  Lady  Hawkshaw;  and 
that  I  found  her  looking  at  least  twenty  years 
132 


TLe  Loves  of  tLe  Lady  Arabella 

younger  since  we  met  last.  At  which  Sir  Peter 
beamed  on  me  with  delight,  and,  I  believe, 
mentally  determined  to  give  me  a  thousand 
pounds  additional,  in  his  will. 

I  then  stated  my  real  business,  which  was 
to  get  Giles  Vernon  exchanged;  and  Sir  Peter, 
without  a  moment's  hesitation,  agreed  to  do  all 
he  could  for  me;  and  then,  as  usual,  directed 
me  to  have  my  portmanteau  sent  to  Berkeley 
Square,  as  Lady  Hawkshaw  had  done.  Before 
I  left  the  Admiralty,  machinery  had  been  put  in 
motion  to  secure  Giles  Vernon's  exchange.  I 
returned  to  Berkeley  Square,  and  again  took  up 
my  abode  there. 


133 


VII 

One  month  from  the  time  I  arrived  in  Lon- 
don, I  was  on  my  way  to  Portsmouth  to  meet 
Giles  Vernon,  who  had  been  brought  over  with 
a  batch  of  exchanged  officers  from  France. 

In  that  month,  during  which  I  had  lived 
continuously  in  Berkeley  Square,  things  were 
so  little  changed,  except  in  one  respect,  which 
I  shall  mention  presently,  that  I  could  scarcely 
persuade  myself  five  years  had  passed.  Peter 
and  Polly,  as  Giles  disrespectfully  called  them, 
had  not  grown  a  day  older,  and  quarreled  as 
vigorously  as  ever.  Lady  Arabella  was  then 
her  own  mistress,  although  still  living  under 
Sir  Peter's  roof;  but,  as  far  as  I  could  see, 
this  spoiled  child  of  nature  and  fortune  had 
always  been  her  own  mistress.  I  found  that 
Overton  had  been  away  for  some  years  on  for- 
eign service,  and,  after  distinguishing  himself 
greatly,  had  lately  returned  suffering  from  se- 
vere wounds  and  injuries  to  his  constitution. 
He  was,  however,  in  London,  and  able  to  ride 
134 


TLe.  Loves  of  tie  Lacfcr  Arabella 

and  walk  out,  and  visit  his  friends;  but  it 
was  doubted  by  many  whether,  on  the  expira- 
tion of  his  leave,  he  would  ever  be  fit  for  duty 
again. 

I  heard  and  saw  enough  to  convince  me  that 
Lady  Arabella  had  been  wild  with  grief  and 
despair  when  she  heard  of  his  wounds;  and, 
although  since  his  return  to  London  he  avoided 
company  generally,  she  managed  to  see  him 
occasionally,  and  spent  much  of  her  time  driving 
in  the  parks  upon  the  mere  chance  of  seeing 
him  taking  his  daily  ride  or  walk.  Lady  Ara- 
bella Stormont  had  everything  in  life  that  heart 
could  wish,  except  one.  She  had  chosen  to  give 
her  wilful  and  wayward  heart  to  Philip  Over- 
ton,  and  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  he  was 
a  man  well  fitted  to  enchain  a  woman's  imagina- 
tion. Overton  had  disdained  the  spontaneous 
gift  of  Arabella's  love;  but  I  believe  her 
haughty  and  arrogant  mind  could  never  be 
brought  to  believe  that  any  man  could  be  really 
insensible  to  her  beauty,  her  rank,  and  her 
fortune.  Overton  could  not  in  any  way  be 
considered  a  great  match  for  her.  His  fortune 
was  modest,  and  his  chance  of  succeeding  to  the 
135 


Vernon  estates  remote;  but,  with  the  desperate 
perversity  of  her  nature,  him  she  would  have 
and  no  other.  It  always  seemed  to  me  as  if 
Overton  were  the  one  thing  denied  her,  but  that 
she  had  determined  to  do  battle  with  fate  until 
she  conquered  her  soul's  desire. 

For  myself,  she  treated  me  exactly  as  she 
had  done  five  years  before, —  called  me  Dicky 
in  her  good  humors,  and  a  variety  of  sneering 
names  in  her  bad  humors, —  and,  little  as  it  may 
be  believed,  I,  Richard  Glyn,  lieutenant  in  his 
Majesty's  sea-service,  with  three  thousand 
pounds  to  my  name,  would  have  gone  to  the 
gibbet  rather  than  marry  Lady  Arabella,  with 
her  thirty  thousand  pounds. 

Perhaps  Daphne  Carmichael  had  something 
to  do  with  it.  She  was  the  same  gentle,  win- 
ning creature  at  nineteen  as  at  twelve.  She 
was  still  Sir  Peter's  pet,  and  Lady  Hawkshaw's 
comfort;  but  I  had  not  been  in  the  house  a 
week  before  the  change  I  alluded  to  came  about, 
and  the  change  was  in  me  concerning  Daphne. 
I  began  to  find  it  very  hard  to  keep  away  from 
her.  She  treated  me  with  great  kindness  before 
others,  but  when  we  were  alone  together,  she 
136 


was  capricious.  I  began  to  despair  of  ever 
finding  a  woman  who  could  be  kind  to  a  man 
three  times  running.  And  I  was  very  much 
surprised  at  the  end  of  a  fortnight  to  find  my- 
self experiencing  the  identical  symptoms  I  had 
felt  five  years  before,  with  Arabella  —  only 
much  aggravated.  There  was  this  difference, 
too.  I  had  admired  Arabella  as  a  star,  afar 
off,  and  I  think  I  should  have  been  very  much 
frightened,  if,  at  the  time,  she  had  chosen  for- 
mally to  accept  my  devotion.  Not  so  with 
Daphne.  I  felt  I  should  never  be  really  at  ease 
until  I  had  the  prospect  of  having  her  by  my 
side  the  rest  of  my  life.  I  reached  this  phase 
at  the  end  of  the  third  week.  At  the  end  of  the 
fourth,  I  was  in  a  desperate  case,  but  it  was 
then  time  to  go  to  Portsmouth  to  meet  Giles, 
according  to  my  promise,  and  I  felt,  when  I 
parted  from  Daphne,  as  if  I  were  starting  on  a 
three  years'  cruise,  and  I  was  only  to  be  gone  a 
day  and  a  half.  She,  dear  girl,  showed  some 
feeling,  too,  and  I  left,  bearing  with  me  the 
pack  which  every  lover  carries, —  pains  and 
hopes. 

I  left  London  at  night,  and  next  morning  on 
137 


Tne  Loves  or  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

reaching  Portsmouth,  as  I  jumped  from  the 
coach,  I  ran  into  Giles'  arms;  he  had  reached 
Portsmouth  some  hours  in  advance  of  the  time. 

He  showed  marks  of  his  imprisonment  in  his 
appearance,  but  his  soul  had  ever  been  free, 
and  he  was  the  same  brave  and  joyous  spirit 
I  had  ever  known.  Not  being  minded  to  waste 
our  time  in  Portsmouth,  we  took  coach  for 
London  town  at  noon.  As  we  were  mounting, 
a  countryman  standing  by  held  up  a  wooden 
cage  full  of  larks,  and  asked  us  to  buy,  expa- 
tiating on  their  beautiful  song. 

"  I  will  take  them  all,  my  lad,"  cried  Giles, 
throwing  him  a  guinea.  The  fellow  gaped  for 
a  moment,  and  then  made  off  as  fast  as  his  legs 
could  carry  him.  I  wondered  what  Giles  meant 
to  do  with  the  birds.  He  held  the  cage  in  his 
hand  until  we  had  started  and  were  well  into 
the  country;  then,  opening  the  little  slide,  he 
took  out  one  poor,  fluttering  bird,  and,  poising 
on  his  finger  for  a  moment,  the  lark  flew  upward 
with  a  rush  of  joyous  wings. 

Each  bird  he  liberated  in  the  same  way,  all 
of  us  on  the  coach-top  watching  him  in  silence. 
As  the  last  captive  disappeared  in  the  blue 
138 


Tie,  Loves  of  the  LacJ/  Arabella 

heavens,  Giles,  crushing  the  cage  in  his  strong 
hands,  threw  it  away. 

"  I  have  been  a  prisoner  for  fourteen 
months,"  he  said,  "  and  I  shall  never  see  any 
harmless  living  thing  again  imprisoned  without 
trying  to  set  it  free." 

We  reached  London  that  night,  and  Giles 
went  to  his  old  lodgings,  where  his  landlady 
was  delighted  to  see  him,  as  all  women  were 
who  knew  Giles  Vernon.  She  gave  us  supper, 
and  then  we  sat  up  all  night  talking.  I  had 
thought  from  the  guinea  he  had  thrown  the 
vender  of  larks,  that  he  had  money.  I  found 
he  had  none,  or  next  to  none. 

"  And  how  I  am  to  live  until  I  get  another 
ship,  I  am  at  a  loss,  my  boy,"  he  cried,  quite 
cheerfully.  "  Two  courses  are  open  to  me  — 
play  and  running  away  with  an  heiress.  Do 
you  know  of  a  charming  girl,  Dicky,  with  some- 
thing under  a  hundred  thousand  pounds,  who 
could  be  reconciled  to  a  penniless  lieutenant  in 
his  Majesty's  navy?  And  remember,  she  must 
be  as  beautiful  as  the  dawn  besides,  and  of  good 
family,  and  keen  of  wit  —  no  lunkhead  of  a 
woman  for  me."  To  this,  fate  impelled  me  to 
139 


Tnc  Loves  of  tnc  Lacy  Arabella 

reply  that  Lady  Arabella  Stormont  was  still 
single. 

"  Faith ! "  cried  Giles,  slapping  his  knee, 
"  she  is  the  girl  for  me.  I  always  intended  to 
marry  her,  if  only  to  spite  her." 

I  was  sorry  I  had  raked  up  the  embers  of  his 
passion  of  five  years  before,  and  attempted  to 
cover  my  step  by  saying, — 

"  She  is  still  infatuated  with  Overton,  whom, 
however,  she  sees  rarely,  and  that  only  at  the 
houses  of  others;  but  he  has  ever  looked  coldly 
upon  her." 

"  She'll  not  be  coldly  looked  on  by  me.  And 
let  me  see:  there  is  her  cousin  you  used  to  tell 
me  about, —  the  Carmichael  girl, —  suppose 
you,  Dicky,  run  away  with  her;  then  no  two 
lieutenants  in  the  service  will  have  more  of  the 
rhino  than  we !  " 

I  declare  this  was  the  very  first  time  I  had 
remembered  Daphne's  thirty  thousand  pounds. 
She  had  the  same  fortune  as  Lady  Arabella. 
The  reflection  damped  my  spirits  dreadfully. 

Giles  saw  it  directly,  and  in  a  moment  he 
had  my  secret  from  me.  He  shouted  with 
delight,  and  immediately  began  a  grotesque 
140 


Tic  Loves  of  tke  Lac^  Arabella 

planning  for  us  to  run  away  with  the  two 
heiresses.  He  recalled  that  the  abduction  of 
an  heiress  was  a  capital  crime,  and  drew  a  fan- 
tastic picture  of  us  two  standing  in  the  pris- 
oners' dock,  on  trial  for  our  lives,  with  Lady 
Arabella  and  Daphne  swearing  our  lives  away, 
and  then  relenting  and  marrying  us  at  the  gal- 
lows' foot.  And  this  tale,  told  with  the  greatest 
glee,  amid  laughter  and  bumpers  of  hot  brandy 
and  water,  had  a  singular  effect  upon  me.  It 
sobered  me  at  once,  and  suddenly  I  seemed  to 
see  a  vision,  as  Macbeth  saw  Banquo's  ghost, 
passing  before  my  very  eyes, —  just  such  a  scene 
as  Giles  described.  Only  I  got  no  farther  than 
the  spectacle  of  Giles  a  prisoner  in  the  dock,  on 
trial  for  his  life.  My  own  part  seemed  misty 
and  confused,  but  I  saw,  instead  of  the  lodging- 
house  parlor,  a  great  hall  of  justice  dimly 
lighted  with  lamps,  the  judges  in  their  robes  on 
the  bench,  one  with  a  black  cap  on  his  head,  and 
Giles  standing  up  to  receive  sentence.  I  passed 
into  a  kind  of  nightmare,  from  which  I  was 
aroused  by  Giles  whacking  nie  on  the  back  and 
saying  in  a  surprised  voice, — 

"  What  ails  you,  Dicky  boy  ?     You  look  as 
141 


if  you  had  seen  a  ghost.  Rouse  up  here  and 
open  jour  lantern  jaws  for  a  glass  of  brandy 
and  rid  yourself  of  that  long  face." 

I  came  out  of  this  singular  state  as  quickly 
as  I  had  gone  into  it,  and,  ashamed  to  show  my 
weakness  to  Giles,  grew  merry,  carried  on  the 
joke  about  the  abduction,  and  shortly  felt  like 
myself,  a  light-hearted  lieutenant  of  twenty-one. 
I  proposed  that  we  should  go  to  the  play  the 
next  night, —  or  rather  that  night,  for  it  was 
now  about  four  in  the  morning, —  and  shortly 
after  we  tumbled  into  bed  together  and  slept 
until  late  the  next  day. 

Giles  and  I  went  to  Berkeley  Square  in  the 
afternoon,  professing  just  to  have  arrived  from 
Portsmouth.  Giles  expressed  his  thanks  in 
the  handsomest  manner  to  Sir  Peter  for  his 
kindness,  and  made  himself,  as  usual,  highly 
agreeable  to  Lady  Hawkshaw.  Neither  Lady 
Arabella  nor  Daphne  was  at  home,  but  came 
in  shortly  after  Giles  had  left.  Lady  Arabella 
made  some  slighting  remark  about  Giles,  as 
she  always  did  whenever  opportunity  offered. 
Daphne  was  very  kind  to  me,  and  I  gave  her 
to  understand  privately  that  I  was  ready  to 
142 


haul  down  my  flag  at  the  first  summons  to 
surrender. 

The  family  from  Berkeley  Square  were  going 
to  the  play  that  night,  and  I  mentioned  that 
Giles  and  I  would  be  there  together.  And  so, 
just  as  the  playhouse  was  lighting  up,  we 
walked  in.  After  the  curtain  was  up,  and 
when  Mrs.  Trenchard  was  making  her  great 
speech  in  Percy,  I  motioned  Giles  to  look  toward 
Lady  Hawkshaw's  box.  Her  ladyship  entered 
on  Sir  Peter's  arm;  his  face  was  very  red,  and 
he  was  growling  under  his  breath,  to  which 
Lady  Hawkshaw  contributed  an  obligato  ac- 
companiment in  a  sepulchral  voice;  and  behind 
them,  in  all  the  splendor  of  her  beauty,  walked 
Lady  Arabella,  and  last,  came  sweet,  sweet 
Daphne. 

The  first  glimpse  Giles  caught  of  Lady  Ara- 
bella seemed  to  renew  in  an  instant  the  spell  she 
had  cast  on  him  five  years  before.  He  seemed 
almost  like  a  madman.  He  could  do  nothing 
but  gaze  at  her  with  eyes  that  seemed  starting 
out  of  his  head.  He  grew  pale  and  then  red, 
and  was  like  a  man  in  a  frenzy.  It  was  all  I 
could  do  to  moderate  his  voice  and  his  looks 
143 


The  Loves  or  tie  Lacy  Arabella 

in  that  public  place.  Luckily,  Mrs.  Trenchard 
being  on  the  stage,  all  eyes  were,  for  the  time, 
bent  on  her. 

I  hardly  knew  how  we  sat  the  play  out.  I 
had  to  promise  Giles  a  dozen  times  that  the 
next  day  I  would  take  him  to  Berkeley  Square. 
When  the  curtain  went  down,  he  fairly  leaped 
his  way  out  of  the  playhouse  to  see  Lady  Ara- 
bella get  into  the  coach. 

That  was  a  fair  sample  of  the  way  he  raved 
for  days  afterward.  He  haunted  Berkeley 
Square,  where  he  was  welcomed  always  by 
Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw,  asked  to  dine 
frequently,  and  every  mark  of  favor  shown  him. 

Lady  Arabella  remained  cold  and  indifferent 
to  him.  About  that  time  Overton  appeared  a 
little  in  his  old  haunts,  although  much  changed 
and  sobered.  Neither  wounds  nor  illness  had 
impaired  his  looks  and  charms,  but  rather  he 
had  become  an  object  of  interest  and  sympathy 
from  his  gallant  behavior  in  the  field.  Sir 
Peter,  who  had  always  liked  him,  began  to 
pester  him  to  come  to  Berkeley  Square,  which 
he  did  a  few  times,  because  he  could  not  well 
decline  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw's  press- 
144 


j 


4 


She  suddenly  fell  into  my  arms.     Page  145 


Tic  Loves  of  tic  Lac^  Arabella 

ing  and  friendly  invitations.  I  believed,  how- 
ever, that  in  spite  of  his  forced  composure  he 
felt  cruelly  abashed  before  Lady  Arabella. 
She,  however,  showed  an  amazing  coolness,  and 
even  began  to  be  a  little  kind  to  Giles,  from 
some  obscure  motive  of  her  own.  I  believe 
every  act  of  her  life  with  regard  to  men  had 
some  reference  to  her  passion  for  Overton. 

All  this  time,  though,  from  the  night  of  the 
play,  Daphne  and  I  had  been  secretly  happy; 
for  on  the  very  next  day,  catching  her  alone,  I 
told  her,  in  plain  and  seamanlike  language,  that 
I  loved  her,  and  when  she  showed  a  disposition 
to  cut  and  run,  I  said  to  her,  very  boldly, — 

"  Since  you  scorn  my  love,  I  have  the  re- 
source that  every  one  of  my  calling  has  in  these 
days.  I  shall  soon  go  to  sea,  and  upon  the  deck 
of  my  ship  I  can  find  death,  since  life  is  nothing 
to  me  without  my  Daphne's  love." 

At  which,  without  the  least  warning,  she  sud- 
denly fell  into  my  arms,  crying, — 

"  You'll  break  my  heart,  if  you  talk  in  that 
way ! "  and  I  perceived  that  she  was  only  ma- 
neuvering for  position. 

I  do  not  know  exactly  what  happened  next, 
145 


Tne  Loves  or  the  Laqy  Arabella 

except  I  was  in  that  heaven,  Daphne's  arms, 
when  I  looked  up  and  caught  the  butler  and 
two  footmen  grinning  at  me.  But  it  mattered 
not. 

Next  morning  Daphne  and  I  met  in  the 
drawing-room,  as  usual,  after  breakfast;  but 
what  a  meeting  it  was!  We  had  barely  time 
to  scuttle  back  to  our  chairs  when  Sir  Peter 
entered  with  the  newspaper,  and  informed  me 
that  the  Bellona  frigate  was  being  fitted  for  the 
West  Indies,  and  he  thought  he  could  get  me 
a  berth  in  her,  at  which  I  felt  myself  grow  wealc 
in  the  knees,  so  great  is  the  power  of  love. 

Presently  he  went  out.  Then  Daphne  and 
I  began  to  speculate  upon  Sir  Peter's  personal 
equation  in  our  affairs. 

"  He  will  never  let  me  marry  you,"  she  said. 
"  He  will  say  I  am  too  young." 

This  depressed  me  so  that  I  could  say  noth- 
ing in  reply.  Daphne  continued,  quite  in  an 
offhand  manner, — 

"  If  we  should  elope,  he  would  make  a  great 
hullabaloo." 

This  admirable  suggestion  at  once  com- 
mended itself  to  me. 

146 


Tnc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

"  His  hullabaloo  could  not  separate  us,  if  we 
were  married,"  I  replied. 

"  True,"  said  Daphne ;  "  and  after  all,  he  and 
Lady  Hawkshaw  as  good  as  eloped,  and  she 
was  but  eighteen  —  a  year  younger  than  I." 

Thus  was  I  supplied  with  another  argument. 

I  again  swear  that  I  had  not  a  thought  of 
Daphne's  fortune  in  all  this.  I  would  have 
taken  the  dear  girl  with  nothing  but  the  clothes 
upon  her  back. 

True  to  his  word,  Sir  Peter  worked  like  a 
Trojan  to  get  me  a  berth  on  the  Bellona,  and, 
meaning  to  do  Giles  the  greatest  service  in  the 
world,  tried  likewise  for  him;  and  mightily 
afraid  we  were  that  he  would  soon  succeed. 

This  brought  matters  to  a  crisis  with  Daphne. 
I  mentioned  the  word  "  elope  "  to  her  again,  and 
she  made  a  great  outcry,  after  the  manner  of 
young  women,  and  then  began  straightway  to 
show  me  precisely  how  it  might  be  done,  protest- 
ing, meanwhile,  that  she  would  never,  no,  never, 
consent.  We  both  agreed,  though,  that  it  was 
proper  we  should  lay  the  matter  of  our  mar- 
riage before  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw; 
but  I  saw  that  Daphne,  who  was  of  a  romantic 
147 


The  Loves  or  tie  Laqy  Arabella 

turn,  had  her  imagination  fired  by  the  notion 
of  an  elopement. 

"  A  pair  of  good  horses  and  a  light  traveling 
chaise !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  If  only  it  were  not 
wrong ! " 

"  No,  no !  Four  horses !  "  cried  I,  "  and 
there  is  nothing  wrong  in  either  a  two  or  a  four 
horse  chaise." 

Daphne  clapped  her  hands. 

"  A  trip  to  Scotland  —  I  have  always  longed 
for  Scotland.  I  know  a  dozen  people  who  have 
married  in  Scotland,  and  happy  marriages, 
every  one  of  them.  But  I  forbid  you,  Richard, 
to  think  of  an  elopement." 

"  We  shall  set  out  at  midnight ;  we  shall  not 
be  missed  until  morning,  and  we  shall  have  at 
least  twelve  hours'  start.  Then,  at  every  stage, 
we  shall  leave  something  behind,  which  will  en- 
sure a  broken  axle,  or  a  linchpin  gone,  for  our 
pursuers." 

We  were  both  so  charmed  with  the  picture 
we  had  conjured  up,  that  when  I  said,  "  Sup- 
pose, after  all,  though,  that  Sir  Peter  con- 
sents ? "  Daphne's  face  fell ;  but  presently  she 
smiled,  when  I  said, — 

148 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

"  If  he  does  consent,  why,  then,  there  is  no 
harm  in  our  marrying  any  way  we  like,  and  he 
will  excuse  us  for  running  away.  And  if  he 
does  not  consent,  there  is  no  help  for  it, —  we 
must  elope ! " 

I  considered  myself  a  casuist  of  the  first 
order.  I  felt  obliged  to  take  the  first  oppor- 
tunity of  letting  Sir  Peter  know  the  state  of 
affairs,  and,  as  usual,  I  determined  to  begin 
through  Lady  Hawkshaw. 

"  And,"  as  Daphne  shrewdly  remarked, 
"  they  will  certainly  differ,  so  we  shall  at  least 
have  one  of  them  on  our  side." 

I  sought  Lady  Hawkshaw,  and  found  her  in 
her  usual  place,  in  the  Chinese  room.  I  began, 
halting,  stammering,  and  blushing,  as  if  I  were 
a  charity  school-boy,  instead  of  a  lieutenant  in 
his  Majesty's  service,  who  had  been  thanked  by 
Lord  Nelson. 

"  M-m-my  lady,"  I  stuttered,  "  I  have  expe- 
rienced so  much  k-k-kindness  from  you  that  I 
have  come  to  you  in  the  greatest  emergency  of 
my  life." 

"  You  want  to  get  married,"  promptly  replied 
Lady  Hawkshaw. 

149 


Toe  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

I  was  so  staggered  by  having  the  words  taken 
out  of  my  mouth,  that  I  could  only  gape  and 
stare  at  her.  To  render  my  confusion  worse, 
she  added, — 

"  And  you  want  to  marry  Daphne." 

"  I  can  not  deny  it,  Madam,"  I  managed  to 
say. 

"  Will  you  ring  the  bell  ?  "  she  asked. 

I  rang  the  bell  like  a  churchwarden,  and  the 
footman  came,  and  Lady  Hawkshaw  imme- 
diately sent  him  for  Sir  Peter. 

I  think  my  courage  would  wholly  have  given 
out  at  that,  except  for  a  glimpse  of  Daphne, 
flitting  up  the  stairs.  The  dear  girl  wished  to 
give  me  heart,  so  she  told  me  afterward. 

Sir  Peter  appeared,  and  was  greeted  by  Lady 
Hawkshaw  as  follows: — 

"  Sir  Peter,  here  is  Richard  Glyn  wanting  to 
marry  Daphne.  He  has  but  three  thousand 
pounds;  but  she  might  go  farther,  and  fare 
worse." 

Sir  Peter  literally  glared  at  me.  He  gasped 
once  or  twice,  then  broke  out  in  a  torrent. 

"  He  wants  to  marry  my  ward,  does  he  —  my 
ward,  with  thirty  thousand  pounds,  in  her  own 
150 


right!  I  wonder,  damme,  he  didn't  propose  to 
marry  Arabella,  too.  Young  gentleman,  you 
are  too  modest.  Heiresses  in  England  go  about 
hunting  for  poor  lieutenants  to  marry.  I  sup- 
pose you  think  it  would  be  a  fine  stroke  for 
me  to  marry  mjy  ward  to  my  nephew !  Ha,  ha ! 
Ho,  ho!" 

His  laughter  was  demoniac. 

"  Sir  Peter,"  said  Lady  Hawkshaw  severely, 
—  for  I  remained  mute, — "  I  am  astonished 
at  your  violence  and  unreason.  Did  you  never 
hear  of  an  heiress  —  and  a  fine,  handsome  girl, 
too,  with  many  accomplishments,  and  of  a  great 
family  —  marrying  a  poor  lieutenant  without  a 
penny,  and  without  an  ancestor?  " 

"  By  Jupiter,  I  never  did !  "  roared  Sir  Peter. 

"  Then,  Sir  Peter,"  cried  Lady  Hawkshaw, 
rising  with  awful  dignity,  "  you  forget  all  about 
Lieutenant  Peter  Hawkshaw  and  the  Honorable 
Apollonia  Jane  Howard." 

At  this,  Sir  Peter  fairly  wilted  for  a  few 
moments;  and  I  heard  something  strangely 
like  a  tittering  in  the  next  room. 

But  Sir  Peter  presently  recovered  himself  in 
a  measure. 

151 


"But  —  but  —  there  are  lieutenants  and 
lieutenants,  Madam.  I  was  considered  a  man 
likely  to  rise.  And  besides,  if  I  remember 
rightly,  I  was  not  an  ill-looking  fellow, 
Madam." 

"  Sir  Peter,  you  were  no  taller  then  than  you 
are  now  —  five  feet  four  inches.  Your  hair 
was  red,  and  you  were  far  from  handsome. 
Richard  Glyn  is  as  good-looking  as  you  ever 
were  in  your  life;  and  he  has  already  made  his 
mark.  Richard  Glyn,"  turning  to  me,  "  you 
are  at  liberty  to  marry  Daphne  Carmichael." 

"  Richard  Glyn,"  bawled  Sir  Peter,  "  if  you 
dare  to  think  you  are  going  to  marry  Daphne 
Carmichael, —  mind,  I  say,  if  the  thought  ever 
enters  your  damned  head, —  it  will  be  as  much 
as  your  life  is  worth!  I  am  going,  this  mo- 
ment, to  the  First  Lord  of  the  Admiralty,  to 
see  if  I  can't  have  you  sent  to  the  West  Indies, 
or  the  Gold  Coast,  with  my  best  wishes  and 
endeavors  to  keep  you  there  for  ten  years  at 
least." 

"  And  what  will  you  do  with  me,  dear  Uncle 
Peter?"  suddenly  asked  a  soft  voice;  and 
Daphne,  who  had  stolen  into  the  room  (she 
152 


Tie  Loves  of  tie  Lacbr  Arabella 

must  have  been  very  near),  stood  before  him, 
and  nestled  her  pretty  head  against  his  shoulder.' 

Sir  Peter  was  too  astonished,  for  a  moment 
or  two,  to  speak.  The  whole  thing  had  fallen 
upon  him  like  the  shock  of  an  earthquake. 
But  in  a  little  while  he  recovered  his  voice,  and 
all  of  his  voice,  too;  he  shouted  as  if  he  were 
on  the  bridge  of  the  Ajax,  with  a  whole  gale 
blowing,  and  the  enemy  in  sight. 

"Do!"  he  shrieked.  "What  shall  I  do? 
Bread  and  water,  miss,  for  six  months!  Dis- 
cipline, miss ! "  And  much  more  of  the  same 
sort. 

This  roused  Lady  Hawkshaw  to  take  our 
part.  She  shouted  back  at  Sir  Peter;  and  I, 
not  to  be  outdone,  shouted  that  Daphne  was 
mine,  and  I  was  hers,  as  long  as  life  should 
last;  and  presently  Sir  Peter  flung  out,  in  a 
royal  rage,  and  Lady  Hawkshaw  flung  after 
him;  and  Daphne  sank,  in  tears,  on  my  shoul- 
der, and  I  kissed  her  a  hundred  times,  and 
comforted  her.  But  I  knew  Sir  Peter  was  a 
determined  man,  in  some  respects;  and  I  felt 
assured  he  would  shortly  carry  out  his  threat 
to  send  me  to  sea,  and,  once  at  sea,  it  might 
153 


Tnc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

be  years  before  I  should  again  set  foot  in  Eng- 
land. Scotland,  then,  sounded  sweetly  in  our 
ears.  I  found,  in  truth,  that  when  it  came  actu- 
ally to  going  off,  Daphne's  romantic  willing- 
ness changed  to  a  natural  hesitation  at  so  bold 
a  step.  But  the  near  prospect  of  going  to  the 
Bellona  turned  the  scale  in  my  favor,  and  I 
won  from  her  a  sort  of  oblique  consent.  And 
another  thing  seemed  to  play  directly  into  our 
hands.  Sir  Peter  had  business  at  Scarborough, 
which  might  detain  him  some  time;  and, 
although  it  was  late  in  the  autumn,  he  deter- 
mined to  take  his  family  with  him.  I  believe 
it  was  by  way  of  separating  Daphne  and  me 
that  he  came  to  the  decision.  Lady  Hawkshaw 
was  to  go,  and  his  two  wards;  and  they  were 
to  remain  a  month.  This  was  so  obviously 
showing  us  the  road  across  the  border,  that  I 
told  my  sweet  Daphne,  plainly,  I  should  carry 
her  off;  at  which  she  wept  more,  and  protested 
less,  than  I  had  yet  seen  her. 

In  the  whole  affair,  I  had  counted  upon  the 

assistance   of   Giles   Vernon;   and   on   the   very 

night  the  party  left  for  Scarborough,  after  a 

tearful    farewell    between    Daphne    and    me,    I 

154 


Tnc  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

went  to  Giles'  lodgings,  to  make  a  clean  breast 
of  it. 

Giles'  voice  called  me  up  stairs;  and  when  I 
reached  his  room,  there,  spread  out  on  the  bed, 
I  saw  a  beautiful  suit  of  brown  and  silver. 

"  Do  you  see  that?  "  cried  Giles.  "  That  is 
my  wedding  suit.  For  it  I  spent  fifty  of  the 
last  hundred  pounds  I  had  in  the  world,  and 
it  is  to  marry  Lady  Arabella  Stormont  that  I 
bought  it." 

I  thought  he  was  crazy,  but  I  soon  perceived 
there  was  method  in  his  madness.  He  told  me 
seriously  enough  that  he  meant  to  carry  off 
Lady  Arabella  Stormont  from  Scarborough. 

"  But  —  but  —  she  does  not  like  you,"  I  said, 
hesitating  and  amazed. 

"  We  shall  see  about  that,  my  lad,"  he  said, 
and  then  began  to  tell  me  of  what  he  thought 
a  great  change  in  his  favor  with  Arabella.  He 
put  many  trifling  things  which  I  had  not  noted 
in  such  a  light  that  under  his  eloquent  persua- 
sion I  began  to  believe  Lady  Arabella  really 
might  have  a  secret  weakness  for  him,  which 
pride  prevented  her  from  discovering.  He  had 
never  failed  to  win  any  woman's  regard  yet; 
155 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacfy  Arabella 

and  it  had  always  seemed  a  miracle  to  me, 
Richard  Glyn,  who  had  fallen  under  his  spell 
so  many  years  ago,  how  anybody  could  resist 
him.  He  wound  up  his  argument  by  saying,  in 
his  usual  confident  manner, — 

"  Trust  me,  there  is  something  compelling  in 
the  love  I  feel  for  Arabella.  Women  are  all 
alike,  my  boy.  They  want  a  master.  Once 
put  the  bit  in  their  mouths,  and  they  adore  you 
for  it.  Let  me  have  the  spirit  to  run  away  with 
that  adorable  creature,  and  see  how  quickly  she 
will  come  to  my  call.  You  will  shortly  see  her 
clinging  to  me  like  peaches  to  a  southern  wall." 

"  And  her  fortune  ?  " 

"  She  is  none  the  worse  for  that.  But  I 
swear  to  you,  Dicky  Glyn,  that  I  would  carry 
her  off  as  the  Romans  did  the  Sabine  maidens, 
if  she  had  not  a  shilling," —  which  I  believed  to 
be  true;  for  his  was  an  infatuation  which  takes 
account  of  nothing. 

He  then  began  to  tell  me  of  his  plans,  and  in 
them  he  showed  his  usual  shrewdness  and  bold- 
ness. The  trip  to  Scarborough  had  put  Scot- 
land in  his  head.  He  was  likely  to  be  sent  to 
sea  any  day,  to  be  gone,  perhaps,  for  years; 
156 


Toe  Loves  or  the  Lacy  Arabella 

just  the  arguments  I  had  used  to  myself  first 
and  to  Daphne  afterward. 

I  remembered  that  scene  five  years  before, 
with  Overton  and  Lady  Arabella  in  Sir  Peter's 
cubby-hole;  and  the  memory  of  it  made  me 
think  with  dread  of  Giles  Vernon's  marrying 
Arabella.  But  I  could  not  speak  openly;  and, 
after  all,  she  was  so  strange  a  creature  that  one 
could  scarcely  judge  her  by  the  standard  of 
other  women.  And  then  the  plan  I  had  to 
confide  to  him  very  effectually  withdrew  the 
charges  of  any  battery  I  might  have  brought 
to  bear  on  him. 

When  he  had  finished  his  tale,  and  I  had  told 
mine,  Giles  was  in  an  ecstasy.  He  laughed  in 
his  uproarious  good  humor. 

"  Oh,  you  sly  dog ! "  he  shouted.  "  So  you 
are  up  to  the  same  game ! " 

I  explained  that  I  had  not  much  to  fear. 
Daphne  was  undoubtedly  fond  of  me,  and  Lady 
Hawkshaw  being  on  our  side,  and  other  reasons 
in  our  favor, —  all  of  which  fitted  Giles'  case 
exactly.  And  at  last  I  gave  up,  in  sheer 'de- 
spair, and  agreed  to  Giles'  suggestion  that  we 
should  together  carry  off  the  two  damsels  of 
157 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

our  hearts;  and  then  and  there  we  made  our 
plans,  sitting  up  until  the  gray  dawn  came. 

Oh,  the  madness  of  it!  the  wildness  of  it! 
But  we  were  two  dare-devil  and  happy-go-lucky 
lieutenants,  without  the  prudence  of  landsmen. 
We  loved,  and  we  were  liable  at  any  moment  to 
be  torn  away  for  many  years  from  the  idols  of 
our  hearts.  Runaway  marriages  were  common; 
and  only  the  parents  and  guardians  were 
offended  in  those  cases,  and  forgiveness  gen- 
erally followed.  We  were  about  to  commit  a 
great  folly;  but  we  thought  we  were  nobly 
sustaining  the  reputation  of  his  Majesty's  sea- 
officers  for  our  spirit  and  gallantry  with  the 
fair  sex,  and  looked  not  to  the  dreadful  conse- 
quences of  our  desperate  adventure. 


158 


vin 

Giles  Vernon  and  I  agreed  that  it  was  neces- 
sary we  should  strike  the  blow  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible, while  we  had  the  weather-gage,  so  to  speak, 
of  Sir  Peter ;  and  on  the  day  after  his  traveling 
chariot  took  its  way  north,  a  very  plain  post- 
chaise  followed  it,  and  in  it  were  Giles  Vernon 
and  myself. 

Giles  was  in  a  state  of  the  wildest  happiness 
conceivable.  There  is  something  appalling  in 
that  fervor  of  mind  when  the  human  creature, 
forgetting  all  the  vicissitudes  of  this  life,  treads 
on  air  and  breathes  and  lives  in  Heaven.  Thus  I 
was  made  sad  by  his  gladness,  but  I  dared  not 
show  it,  lest  it  be  mistaken  for  a  want  of  spirit 
in  our  enterprise,  so  I  joined  with  him  in  his  joy 
and  revelry. 

We  reached  Scarborough  at  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  and  put  up  at  a  small  inn  on  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  and  some  little  way  on 
the  road  to  the  north.  We  sallied  forth  imme- 
diately to  find  out  something  about  our  in- 
159 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

amoratas,  and  Fate  —  whether  it  was  that 
kindly  goddess  who  leads  our  footsteps  toward 
those  we  love,  or  whether  it  was  the  cruel  Des- 
tiny which  delights  in  torturing  men  —  at  once 
directed  us.  We  were  walking  along  near  the 
playhouse,  which  had  been  lately  opened  in  the 
town,  when  we  saw  James,  Lady  Hawkshaw's 
own  footman,  go  inside  the  playhouse  and  buy 
some  tickets  of  the  man  at  the  door.  As  soon 
as  he  was  well  out  of  the  way  I  sneaked  in,  and, 
thrusting  two  shillings  into  the  man's  hand, 
inquired  if  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw  and 
the  young  ladies  would  favor  the  performance 
that  night.  The  man  grinned  and  showed  me 
a  slip  of  paper,  on  which  was  written  in  Lady 
Hawkshaw's  bold  hand,  "  Three  stalls  for  Lady 
Hawkshaw  and  party." 

This  made  me  hope  that  Sir  Peter  would  not 
be  present,  for  I  thought  our  chances  of  getting 
off  would  materially  improve  if  he  were  not  on 
the  spot. 

The  play  was  to  be  over  at  half-past  ten,  and 

it  may  be  imagined  that  we  had  plenty  to  do 

until  then.     We  engaged  four  of  the  best  pairs 

of  nags  in  the  town.     We  arranged  to  pay  the 

160 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lsuk  Arabella 

postboys  according  to  the  time  they  took  us 
over  the  border,  and  we  felt  in  ourselves  the 
strength  of  Titans,  to  overcome  whatever  resist- 
ance might  be  offered.  Of  course  we  counted 
on  the  surprise,  and  we  determined  that  the 
best  disposition  to  make  of  Lady  Hawkshaw 
was  for  Giles  Vernon  to  appear  suddenly,  when 
the  people  were  coming  out,  place  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw in  her  coach,  and  then  make  that  bold 
dash  for  love  and  beauty  which  we  had  deter- 
mined upon.  Our  postboys,  who  were  not  new 
to  the  perils  of  elopements,  grinned  at  the  pros- 
pect, and  were  instructed  to  remain  near  Lady 
Hawkshaw's  coach  and  impede  it  as  much  as 
possible,  so  that  it  might  be  the  last  to  reach 
the  door  of  the  theater. 

Our  arrangements  were  complete  by  eight 
o'clock,  and  from  that  hour  until  ten  we  em- 
ployed ourselves  in  disposing  of  a  good  supper 
at  the  tavern.  We  were  in  a  gale  of  rapture 
then.  It  seemed  to  us  both  as  if  we  were  in 
that  happy  and  exultant  mood,  when  the  enemy 
is  within  gun-shot  and  the  ship  is  cleared  for 
action;  and  we  only  awaited  the  signal  for 
victory.  We  had  some  punch,  but  both  Giles 
161 


Tic  Lovos  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

and  myself  knew  enough  to  be  exceedingly 
careful  in  attacking  it. 

"  Dicky,  my  lad,"  cried  Giles,  banging  me 
in  the  back,  "  this  day  is  the  anniversary  of  the 
day  we  whipped  the  Indomptable  and  the  Xan- 
tippe!  " —  and  so  it  was.  "  So  we  shall  capture 
the  Indomptable,  in  the  Lady  Arabella,  and  we 
will  disable  the  Xantippe, —  ha !  ha !  —  in  my 
Lady  Hawkshaw." 

This  I  thought  a  very  fine  joke  indeed,  and 
we  drank  to  it. 

"  Dicky,"  began  Giles  again,  wiping  his 
mouth  after  the  punch,  "  I  never  thought  I 
could  be  constant  to  any  woman,  as  I  have  been 
to  Arabella.  By  Heaven,  the  whole  sex  is  so 
seductive  that  it  was  the  last  one  I  saw  I  loved 
the  best.  But  since  I  knew  that  witch  of  a  girl, 
St.  Anthony  himself  could  not  be  more  imper- 
vious to  female  charms  than  your  humble  serv- 
ant," which  was  true  enough.  "  And  as  for 
Overton, —  that  psalm-singing  devil, —  I  defy 
him.  Give  me  but  a  week,  and  he  shall  see 
Arabella  hanging  upon  me  so  fondly !  Let  him 
have  her  thirty  thousand  pounds;  'tis  so  much 
dirt  and  dross  to  me.  And  she  may  be  Lady 
162 


Tnc  Loves  of  tLe  Lac^  Arabella 

Vernon  yet.  Do  you  know  that  old  rapscallion 
Sir  Thomas  Vernon's  estate  is  in  this  part  of 
the  country?  though  nearer  York  than  Scar- 
borough. On  our  return  from  our  honeymoon 
I  have  a  great  mind  to  take  my  Arabella  to 
Vernon  Court,  and  show  her  what  may  one  day 
be  hers." 

So  he  raved  and  roared  out  snatches  like, — 

"  In  Bacchus'  joys  I'll  freely  roll, 
Deny  no  pleasure  to  my  soul, 
Let  Bacchus'  health  round  freely  move; 
For  Bacchus  is  the  friend  of  love  — 
And  he  that  will  this  toast  deny, 
Down  among  the  dead  men  let  him  lie." 

And  I  took  up  the  chorus  and  bawled  it  out; 
for  I,  too,  looked  for  no  more  crosses  in  this  life, 
having  Daphne  for  my  wife. 

So  the  time  passed  until  ten  o'clock;  and  at 
ten  o'clock  we  sallied  forth. 

It  was  a  starlit  night  in  early  December. 
The  cold  high  blue  heavens  above  us  seemed  to 
radiate  happiness;  the  myriad  stars  twinkled 
with  joy;  we  scarce  felt  the  ground  under  our 
feet. 

The  two  post-chaises  awaited  us  on  the  high- 
163 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

way,  the  postboys  full  of  confidence ;  the  horses, 
the  best  in  the  town,  were  eager  to  be  off.  We 
jumped  together  in  one,  and  were  whirled  into 
the  town,  and  were  at  the  door  of  the  playhouse 
almost  before  we  knew  it. 

One  of  our  postilions  speedily  found  the  coach 
which  had  brought  Lady  Hawkshaw  there,  and, 
in  pursuance  of  his  instructions,  got  the  coach- 
man off  his  box  to  drink  in  a  neighboring 
tavern,  while  one  of  our  postboys  stood  watch 
over  the  horses.  Giles  and  I  remained  in  the 
chaise  until  it  was  time  for  us  to  make  our 
descent. 

At  half-past  ten  the  play  was  over,  and  then 
began  that  hurry  and  commotion  of  the  disper- 
sion of  a  crowd  in  the  darkness.  We  heard 
loud  shouts  for  Lady  Hawkshaw's  coach,  but 
the  coachman  did  not  make  his  appearance. 
There  were  many  officers  and  ladies  from  the 
garrison,  and  a  number  of  equipages ;  but  soon 
they  were  driving  off,  while  half  a  dozen  men  at 
once  were  shouting  for  Lady  Hawkshaw's  coach. 
At  last  my  lady  herself  came  out  of  the  en- 
trance, followed  by  Arabella  and  Daphne,  and 
at  that  moment  Giles  slipped  out  of  the  chaise, 
164 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

and  appeared  before  Lady  Hawkshaw  as  if  he 
had  risen  from  the  earth.  I,  too,  was  on  the 
ground,  but  out  of  sight. 

"  Pray,  my  lady,"  said  he,  in  his  most  gallant 
manner,  and  hat  in  hand,  "  allow  me  to  show 
you  to  your  coach." 

"  Mr.  Vernon ! "  cried  Lady  Hawkshaw,  in 
surprise.  "  I  thought  you  were  in  London. 
How  came  you  to  Scarborough  ?  " 

"  By  chaise,  Madam,"  he  replied  politely ; 
"  and  I  hope  to  see  the  young  ladies  before  I 
leave,"  (the  hypocrite!).  "Is  Sir  Peter  with 
you,  Madam  ?  " 

"  No,  he  is  not,"  replied  Lady  Hawkshaw, 
her  wrath  rising  at  the  idea.  "  Had  he  been 
with  me,  my  coach  would  have  been  awaiting 
me."  And  then  turning  to  Arabella  and 
Daphne,  who  were  behind  her,  she  said 
sternly, — 

"  Arabella  and  Daphne,  this  does  not  happen 
again.  Sir  Peter  comes  with  us  to  the  play, 
after  this." 

I  caught  sight,  from  a  corner  behind  the 
chaise,  of  my  dear  Daphne,  at  that  moment. 
She  stopped  suddenly,  and  turned  pale  and  then 
165 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lacb  Arabella 

rosy,  and  glanced  wildly  about  her.     She  knew 
I  was  not  far  off. 

How  Arabella  received  Giles'  sudden  appear- 
ance I  never  knew,  as  I  could  not  see  her.  But 
in  another  moment  he  had  placed  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw,  with  the  utmost  obsequiousness,  in  the 
coach;  then  folding  up  the  steps  like  magic,  he 
slammed  the  door,  and  shouting  to  the  coach- 
man, "  Drive  on ! "  the  coach  rattled  off,  and 
the  next  moment  his  arm  was  around  Arabella, 
and  mine  was  around  Daphne,  and  they  were 
swept  off  their  feet;  and  in  less  time  than  it 
takes  to  tell  it,  each  of  us  was  with  the  idol 
of  his  heart,  whirling  off  toward  Gretna  Green, 
as  fast  as  four  horses  to  a  light  chaise  could 
take  us. 

Now,  what  think  you,  were  Daphne's  first 
words  to  me? 

"  Unhand  me,  Mr.  Glyn,  or  I  will  scream  for 
assistance ! " 

"  My  dearest  one !  "  I  exclaimed,  "  you  are 
now  mine.  By  to-morrow  morning  we  shall  be 
over  the  border,  and  you  will  be  my  wife." 

"  An  elopement !     Gracious  heaven !     I  never 
thought  of  such  a  thing !  "  she  replied. 
166 


TLc  Loves  of  tlie  Lacjyr  Arabella 

I  might  have  answered  that  she  had  not  only 
thought  of  such  a  thing,  but  talked  of  it.  I 
refrained,  however,  knowing  a  woman's  tongue 
to  be  capricious  in  its  utterances,  and,  instead, 
assured  her  that  my  passion  was  such  I  could 
no  longer  bear  the  thought  of  existing  without 
her. 

"  And  do  you  mean  to  marry  me,  sir,  with- 
out my  guardian's  consent? "  she  asked  with 
much  violence. 

"  I  do,  indeed,  my  angel,  and  I  thought  it 
was  agreed  between  us." 

This  was  an  unfortunate  speech,  and  she 
again  threatened  to  scream  for  assistance,  but 
presently  remarked  that  as  there  was  none  to 
come  to  her  assistance,  she  would  refrain.  And 
then,  having  done  what  propriety  required,  she 
began  to  relent  a  little,  and  at  last  she  lay  in 
my  arms,  asking  me,  with  tears,  if  I  would 
promise  her  never  to  love  another,  and  I  told 
her,  with  great  sincerity,  that  I  never  would, 
provided  I  got  out  of  that  alive. 

Deep  in  our  own  happiness, —  for  at  last  the 
dear  girl  admitted  that  she  was  happy  to  be 
mine, —  we  yet  thought  of  Giles  and  Arabella, 
167 


Toe  Loves  or  tie  Lacy  Arabella 

and  I  would  have  got  out  of  the  chaise  at  each 
of  the  three  stages,  where  we  made  a  rapid 
change  of  horses,  except  that  Daphne  would 
not  let  me, —  afraid,  she  said,  lest  I  should  be 
recognized  and  get  into  trouble.  She  afterward 
told  me  it  was  because  she  feared  we  might  be 
stopped.  We  did  not  forget  the  precaution,  in 
our  brief  halts,  to  pay  the  hostlers  well  to  do 
some  harm  to  any  pursuing  vehicles  which 
might  be  after  us;  and  our  plan  seemed  to  be 
prospering  famously. 

So  all  night  we  rattled  furiously  along,  and 
at  daybreak  we  crossed  the  border,  notified  by 
the  huzzaing  of  the  postboys.  It  was  a  dank, 
dismal  morning,  the  weather  having  changed 
during  the  night,  and  we  saw  that  we  had 
passed  the  other  chaise  in  the  darkness.  It  was 
some  distance  behind,  and  the  horses  seemed 
much  spent.  We  continued  on  our  way,  to  the 
house  of  a  blacksmith  at  Gretna  Green,  who,  so 
our  postboy  told  us,  usually  united  runaway 
couples.  We  dashed  up  to  his  cottage, —  a 
humble  place,  surrounded  by  a  willow  hedge, — 
and  he,  warned  by  approaching  wheels,  came 
out,  half  dressed,  in  the  murky  morning. 
168 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

"  Come  to  be  marrit?  "  he  cried.  "  Step  out 
then." 

I  assisted  Daphne  out  of  the  chaise,  and  then, 
as  we  stood  on  the  damp  ground,  in  those  squalid 
surroundings,  looking  at  each  other,  the  possible 
wrong  I  had  done  this  innocent  girl  suddenly 
swept  over  me.  And  in  her  eyes,  too,  I  read  the 
first  consciousness  of  having  committed  an  im- 
propriety. This  dirty,  unkempt  blacksmith,  the 
coarse,  laughing  postboys  —  this,  a  way  to 
make  the  most  solemn  and  spiritual  of  all  en- 
gagements! I  felt  an  uncomfortable  sense  of 
guilt  and  shame. 

It  was  only  momentary.  The  more  depressed 
she,  the  more  should  I  support,  and  therefore 
I  called  out  cheerfully,  "  I  take  this  woman  to 
be  my  wedded  wife,"  and  such  other  words  as  I 
recalled  of  the  marriage  service  —  and  I  said 
it  so  heartily  and  promised  so  devoutly,  re- 
moving my  hat  when  I  made  my  vows,  that  it 
heartened  up  Daphne  —  and  her  response,  so 
full  of  faith  and  love,  gave  a  kind  of  holiness 
to  it  all.  We  were  two  rash  and  foolish  young 
people  —  but  we  loved  each  other  truly,  and  we 
made  our  vows  solemnly,  determined  to  keep 
169 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

them.  Perhaps  that  counts  for  more,  in  the 
eyes  of  God,  than  all  else;  at  least,  we  realized 
the  sacredness  of  our  vows. 

Scarcely  was  the  brief  ceremony  over  —  for 
ceremony  we  made  it  —  when  the  chaise  contain- 
ing Arabella  and  Giles  drew  up.  And  the  sight 
I  saw,  I  can  never  forget. 

Arabella's  face  was  quite  pale,  but  her  eyes 
were  blazing.  There  were  some  drops  of  blood 
upon  her  cheek  —  they  came  from  her  wrists, 
which  Giles  held  firmly.  The  door  of  the  chaise 
being  opened,  she  stepped  out  willingly,  disdain- 
ing the  assistance  Giles  offered  her.  His  face, 
too,  was  very  pale,  and  he  looked  and  moved  like 
a  man  in  a  nightmare.  The  blacksmith  grinned 
broadly;  he  thought  his  gains  were  to  be  in- 
creased —  for  I  had  not  forgotten  to  pay  him 
handsomely. 

Giles  seized  her  hand.  "  Arabella,"  he  cried 
desperately,  "  surely  you  do  not  now  mean  to 
throw  me  over?  " 

For  answer,  she  gave  him  a  glance  of  inef- 
fable hatred. 

"  This  man,"  she  said,  turning  to  me,  "  your 
friend,  your  intimate  —  I  blush  for  you  —  has 
170 


"  Rather  would  I  die  than  marry  him."     Page 


The  Loves  of  tLe  Lady  Arabella 

dragged  me  here.  Rather  would  I  die  than 
marry  him.  Look !  " 

She  held  up  her  wrists,  and  they  showed 
marks  of  violence. 

"  'Twas  to  keep  her  from  jumping  out  of  the 
chaise,"  said  Giles  wildly.  "  She  would  have 
had  me  leave  her  at  midnight,  on  the  highway 

—  alone  and  unprotected.     Dearest  Arabella," 
he  cried,  turning  to  her,  and  trying  to  clasp  her, 
"  will  you  not  listen  to  my  prayer?     How  can 
you  scorn  such  love  as  mine?  "     And  he  was 
near  going  down  on  his  knees  to  her,  in  the  mud 

—  but  I  held  him  up.     I  confess  that  the  most 
painful  thing,  of  all  this  painful  business,  was 
Giles  Vernon's  complete  surrender  of  his  man- 
hood, under  the  influence  of  his  wild  passion. 
He,    an   officer   in   his   Majesty's   sea-service,   a 
man  who  had  smelt  powder  and  knew  what  it 
was  to  look  Death  in  the  eye  and  advance  upon 
him,  who  would  have  answered  with  his  life  for 
his  courage,  was  ready  to  grovel  in  the  earth 
like    a    madman    for    the    favor    of    a    woman. 
Nothing  was  it  to  him  that  low-born  creatures 
like  the  postboys  and  the  blacksmith  beheld  him 
with  contempt  and  disgust ;  nothing  to  him  that 

171 


Ihc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

a  woman  like  Daphne,  and  that  I,  a  brother 
officer,  witnessed  his  degradation.  He  seemed 
to  have  parted  with  the  last  semblance  of  self- 
respect. 

Arabella  answered  his  appeal  by  a  laugh  of 
scorn,  which  seemed  to  cut  him  like  a  knife; 
and  then,  shaking  me  off,  he  shouted  to  her, — 

"  I  know  why  you  will  not  be  mine.  It  is 
that  pious,  hypocritical  hound,  Overton.  But  I 
tell  you  now,  my  lady,  if  you  marry  him,  I'll 
have  his  life.  Take  note  of  what  I  say  —  I'll 
have  his  life." 

To  which  Arabella,  after  a  pause  in  which  her 
face  grew  deeply  red  and  then  pale  again, 
said, — 

"  Your  own  life  is  in  jeopardy.  The  abduc- 
tion of  an  heiress  is  a  capital  offense,  and  you 
shall  be  tried  for  your  life  if  it  takes  every  shil- 
ling of  my  fortune  to  do  it.  You  shall  see  what 
you  have  done !  " 

I  shuddered  at  these  words,  for  I  saw  it  was 
no  idle  threat.  If  Giles  contemplated  violence 
toward  Overton,  I  had  not  the  slightest  doubt 
that  Arabella  was  fully  capable  of  keeping  her 
word  in  the  dreadful  business.  Daphne  thought 
172 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  La<ir  Arabella 

so  too ;  for    she  ran  forward,  and,  putting  her 
hands  over  Arabella's  mouth,  cried, — 

"  No,  no !  dear  Arabella,  take  that  back ! " 
"  But  I  will  not  take  it  back,"  replied  Ara- 
bella ;  "  and  I  shall  lodge  information  against 
this  wretch,  as  soon  as  I  can  return  to  Scar- 
borough,— which  I  shall  do  in  the  post-chaise; 
for,  luckily,  I  have  money  with  me." 

Under  the  terrible  threat  of  prosecution,  Giles 
recovered  himself  surprisingly.  He  lost  his 
frantic  air,  and,  drawing  himself  up,  remarked 
quite  calmly, — 

"  Just  as  your  ladyship  pleases." 
His  change  of  manner  seemed  to  infuriate 
Arabella,  who  shrieked  at  him, — 
"  You  shall  be  hanged  for  this !  " 
"  Anything    to    oblige    your   ladyship,"    re- 
sponded Giles,  as  cool  as  you  please. 

I  felt  that  this  painful  scene  could  no  longer 
continue,  and  said  so. 

"  Lady  Arabella,"  said  I,  "  my  wife  " —  how 
Daphne's  eyes  glowed  as  I  spoke  — "  and  I  are 
returning  immediately  to  Scarborough ;  you  had 
best  go  with  us;  and  when  you  have  seen  and 
consulted  with  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw, 
173 


The.  Loves  of  tne  Lacy  Arabella 

it  will  be  time  enough  to  determine  upon  your 
course." 

"  My  course  is  already  determined  upon,"  she 
replied ;  and  no  one  who  saw  her  could  doubt  it. 

"  And  so  is  mine,"  said  Giles,  now  in  posses- 
sion of  all  his  usual  manliness.  "  I  return  to 
London,  where  I  shall  duly  report  myself  to  the 
Admiralty,  and  later  to  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw; 
and  if  the  lady  thirsts  for  my  blood,  begad,  she 
can  have  it." 

"  Giles  Vernon,"  said  I,  "  you  have  been  un- 
lucky. I  can  not  say  more,  because  I  am  in  the 
same  boat  with  you.  But  you  have  done  noth- 
ing unworthy  of  a  gentleman,  and  nothing  to 
make  either  Daphne  or  me  love  you  the  less,  no 
matter  what  befalls.  So  here  is  my  hand  upon 
it." 

We  grasped  hands,  and,  turning  to  Daphne, 
he  removed  his  hat  and  proceeded  to  kiss  her, 
saying  to  me,  "  By  your  leave."  And  Daphne 
said  to  him, — 

"  Good-by,  dear  Giles." 

The  proceedings  seemed  to  fill  Lady  Arabella 
with  disgust.  She  haughtily  refused  my  hand 
to  assist  her  into  the  chaise,  and  announced  that 
174 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

she  would  go  to  the  village  of  Springfield,  near 
by,  for  rest  and  breakfast;  and  willy-nilly, 
Daphne  and  I  had  to  follow  in  the  post-chaise. 

Never  shall  I  forget  that  dismal  wedding 
journey  back  to  Scarborough.  I  began,  for 
the  first  time,  to  fear  the  reproaches  of  the  world 
in  general,  and  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw 
in  particular,  in  regard  to  running  away  with 
an  heiress.  I  had  one  comfort,  however; 
Daphne  fully  believed  in  my  disinterestedness; 
and  I  can  sincerely  say  I  wished  Daphne's  for- 
tune at  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  if  I  could  but 
have  wooed  and  won  her  in  the  ordinary  course 
of  events. 

Lady  Arabella  traveled  just  ahead  of  us,  but 
took  occasion  to  show  her  anger  and  resentment 
against  us  in  every  way. 

About  half  the  distance  to  Scarborough  we 
met  full  in  the  road  a  traveling  chariot,  and  in 
it  were  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw. 

We  found  that  the  hostlers  had  earned  their 
money,  and  that  the  Hawkshaws'  chaise  had 
broken  down  at  least  once  in  every  stage. 

When  we  met  and  stopped,  Arabella 
alighted,  and  so  did  we,  and  so  did  the  Hawk- 
175 


The.  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

shaws;  and  the  first  word  that  was  spoken  was 
by  Daphne. 

"  Uncle  Peter,"  she  said,  "  don't  fly  at  Rich- 
ard. If  you  must  know  it,  I  ran  away  with 
him;  for  I  am  sure,  although  he  is  as  brave  as 
a  lion,  it  never  would  have  dawned  upon  him  to 
run  away  with  me,  if  I  had  not  put  the  idea  in 
his  head,  and  kept  it  there." 

"  Sir,"  said  I,  "  and  Madam,"  turning  to 
Lady  Hawkshaw,  "  I  beg  you  will  not  listen  to 
this  young  lady's  plea.  I  am  wholly  responsi- 
ble for  the  circumstances  of  our  marriage.  I 
can,  however,  and  do,  call  Heaven  to  witness, 
that  her  fortune  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  and 
I  should  have  been  happy  and  proud  to  take 
her,  with  the  clothes  on  her  back,  and  nothing 
more." 

Sir  Peter  began  to  sputter,  but  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw cut  him  short. 

"  Exactly  what  you  said,  Sir  Peter,  within 
an  hour  of  our  marriage." 

Thus  were  Sir  Peter's  guns  dismounted. 

"  And,  Richard  and  Daphne,  you  are  a  couple 
of  fools  to  run  away,  when,  if  you  had  only 
had  a  little  patience,  I  would  have  had  you 
176 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lacb  Arabella 

handsomely  married  at  St.  George's,  Hanover 
Square.  But  least  said,  soonest  mended.  Sir 
Peter,  kiss  Daphne,  and  shake  hands  with  Rich- 
ard." 

And  as  I  am  a  sinner,  she  actually  forced  Sir 
Peter  to  do  both,  although  I  saw  he  mortally 
hated  it. 

Arabella's  turn  came  next.  She  advanced 
and  said,  with  a  bitterness  that  struck  a  chill  to 
my  heart, — 

"  Sir  Peter,  as  you  know,  I  was  carried  off 
by  that  wretch  who  disgraces  his  uniform,  Lieu- 
tenant Giles  Vernon;  but  he  did  not  succeed  in 
forcing  me  to  consent  to  a  marriage.  And  I 
call  upon  you,  as  my  next  friend,  to  aid  me  in 
the  prosecution  which  I  shall  immediately  set  on 
foot  against  him  for  the  capital  offense  of  the 
abduction  of  an  heiress;  and  I  hope  to  bring 
him  to  the  gibbet  for  it." 


177 


IX 

Lady  Arabella  Stormont  was  as  good  as 
her  word;  for  that  day,  two  months,  Giles  Ver- 
non  was  put  upon  trial  for  his  life,  at  York 
Assizes,  for  the  abduction  of  an  heiress.  Sir 
Peter  Hawkshaw  refused  absolutely  to  counte- 
nance Arabella;  and  my  Lady  Hawkshaw,  who 
never  had  bowed  her  head  or  abased  her  spirit  to 
mortal  man  or  mortal  woman  before,  went  upon 
her  knees,  imploring  Arabella  to  give  over  her 
revenge, —  for  revenge  it  was,  pure  and  simple, 
—  but  Lady  Arabella  laughed  at  her.  Lady 
Hawkshaw  rose  from  her  knees,  crying  out, — 

"  You  have  some  deep  and  unknown  reason 
for  this;  but  it  will  come  to  naught,  it  will 
come  to  naught !  " 

But  Arabella  found  a  person  ready  to  her 
hand,  who  was  most  active  in  the  matter.  This 
was  Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  of  Vernon  Court.  It 
was  he  who  lodged  the  information  with  the 
public  prosecutor  against  Giles,  and  assumed 
the  part  of  Lady  Arabella's  champion.  Of 
178 


Tnc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

course,  there  was  some  ground  for  the  version 
of  the  story  which  was  started  in  Arabella's  in- 
terest, that  a  frightful  outrage  had  been  com- 
mitted by  dragging  her  off  against  her  will; 
and  that  only  the  most  determined  courage  had 
saved  her  from  a  marriage  repulsive  to  her ;  that 
Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw,  her  next 
friends,  had  basely  deserted  her;  and  that  Sir 
Thomas  had  chivalrously  taken  up  her  cause. 
It  is  true  that  the  relative  characters  of  the 
Hawkshaws  and  Sir  Thomas  Vernon  discounted 
much  of  this;  but  the  actual  facts  in  the  case 
looked  so  ugly  for  Giles,  that  there  was  no 
trouble  in  securing  his  prompt  arrest  and  de- 
livery in  York  jail. 

The  breach  between  Lady  Arabella  and  the 
Hawkshaws,  as  well  as  Daphne  and  myself,  was 
too  great  to  be  bridged  over;  and,  having 
thrown  herself,  so  to  speak,  in  Sir  Thomas  Ver- 
non's  arms,  she  accepted  the  protection  of  a 
relative  of  his,  one  Mrs.  Whitall,  a  decayed  gen- 
tlewoman, and  went  to  live  at  a  small  town  near 
York,  until  the  Assizes,  when  she  would  be  called 
upon  as  the  chief  witness  for  the  prosecution. 
Great  stories  were  immediately  put  forth  that 
179 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

Sir  Thomas  Vernon  was  deeply  smitten  with 
Arabella's  charms,  and  that,  after  a  visit  with 
Mrs.  Whitall  to  Vernon  Court,  she  looked  very 
kindly  on  Sir  Thomas.  All  this  might  be  true, 
and  Sir  Thomas  might  flatter  himself  that  he 
had  won  her  favor;  but,  knowing  Arabella  well, 
I  did  not  credit  her  with  any  sincere  desire  to  be 
kind  to  Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  although  she  might 
make  him  think  so,  for  her  own  purposes.  I 
suspected,  however,  a  motive  far  deeper,  in  any 
matter  connected  with  Sir  Thomas  Vernon. 
Overton  was  the  next  heir  after  Giles;  Sir 
Thomas  was  extremely  rickety,  and  not  likely  to 
be  long-lived;  and  if,  by  merely  telling  what 
had  happened,  Lady  Arabella  could  sate  her  re- 
sentment, which  was  deep  and  furious,  against 
Giles,  and  at  the  same  time  greatly  benefit  Over- 
ton,  I  think  she  would  not  have  weighed  Giles' 
life  at  a  penny.  My  Daphne,  whose  faith  in 
human  nature  was  angelic,  in  her  belief  in  ulti- 
mate good,  prayed  and  besought  Arabella  to 
leave  the  country  before  the  trial  came  off;  but 
Arabella  only  said  contemptuously: 

"  You  are  a  child  and  a  chit.     Giles  Vernon 
contemplated   doing  me  the   greatest  wrong  a 
180 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

man  can  do  a  woman.  Do  you  think  I  shall  let 
him  go  unpunished?  If  so,  how  little  do  you 
know  Arabella  Stormont !  " 

Then  I,  from  loyalty  to  Giles,  and  not  from 
any  hope  I  had  from  Lady  Arabella,  went  to 
her  and  made  my  appeal.  She  heard  all  my 
prayers  without  the  slightest  sign  of  relenting, 
playing  with  her  lap-dog  the  while.  At  last,  I 
said  to  her, — 

"  Tell  me,  at  least,  who  is  to  be  benefited  by 
the  conviction  of  Giles  Vernon?  Not  you,  cer- 
tainly ;  for  you  will  be  loathed  and  shunned  by 
all." 

"  The  person  dearest  to  me  in  the  world,"  she 
replied ;  "  the  person  I  love  better  than  my  life 
or  my  soul,"  and  then,  as  if  she  had  admitted 
too  much,  she  stopped,  turned  pale,  and  seemed 
altogether  disconcerted.  She  had,  in  truth,  ad- 
mitted too  much.  The  person  she  had  ever 
loved  better  than  her  soul  was  Philip  Overton. 

I  had  the  self-possession  to  leave  her  then, 
and  went  off  by  myself  to  think  over  the  strange 
motive  which  had  been  revealed  to  me.  Ara- 
bella's infatuation  for  Overton  had  always  been 
abnormal,  touched  with  unreason.  And  could 
181 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

fate  have  woven  a  closer  web  around  Giles  Ver- 
non  than  in  making  him  fall  so  madly  in  love 
with  Arabella  Stormont? 

Giles  had  promptly  surrendered  himself, 
rightly  judging  a  trial  better  than  being  a 
fugitive  from  justice  and  a  deserter  from  the 
naval  service.  He  repaired  to  York,  after  hav- 
ing duly  reported  to  the  Admiralty,  and  was 
jailed  immediately,  and  indicted. 

The  Hawkshaws,  my  Daphne,  and  I  remained 
in  Scarborough  during  the  two  dreadful  months 
that  passed  before  the  trial  came  off.  Sir  Peter 
easily  got  leave  from  the  Admiralty  for  mo, 
hoping,  not  only  that  my  testimony,  but  the 
example  of  the  felicity  in  which  Daphne  and  I 
lived,  might  not  be  without  its  effect  upon  the 
jury  that  tried  Giles. 

Offers  of  money  to  assist  in  his  defense  came 
from  many  quarters  and  from  several  ladies, — 
two  in  especial,  her  Grace  of  Auchester  and 
Mrs.  Trenchard.  Lady  Hawkshaw,  however, 
claimed  the  privilege  of  bearing  the  expenses 
of  the  trial  out  of  her  private  fortune,  which 
was  large.  Sir  Peter  and  she  had  it  hot  and 
heavy,  he  desiring  to  contribute;  and  for  one 
182 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  La<ir  Arabella 

of  the  few  times  in  his  life,  he  carried  his  point 
against  her.  Two  great  barristers  were  to  be 
brought  from  London  to  assist  Giles  in  his  de- 
fense, besides  another  one  in  York  itself. 

As  soon  as  Giles  was  lodged  in  jail,  Sir  Peter 
and  Lady  Hawkshaw,  Daphne  and  I  went  im- 
mediately to  see  him.  We  drove  in  state,  in 
a  coach  and  four,  with  outriders,  Sir  Peter  in 
his  uniform,  with  his  sword,  and  I  also  in  uni- 
form; for  our  object  was  to  testify  publicly  our 
regard  for  Giles  and  detestation  of  the  prosecu- 
tion for  his  life  which  was  on  foot. 

We  reached  the  great  gloomy  building,  and 
the  turnkey  immediately  showed  us  to  Giles' 
room).  It  was  one  of  the  best  rooms  in  the 
place,  and  would  have  been  comfortable  enough 
had  it  not  been  in  a  prison. 

He  was  delighted  to  see  us,  kissed  Lady 
Hawkshaw's  hand,  and  gave  Daphne  a  hearty 
smack  on  the  cheek.  He  looked  well,  and  I  ex- 
pected to  find  him  hopeful;  but  he  seemed  to 
regard  his  fate  as  fixed,  although  it  in  no  wise 
disturbed  his  cheerfulness.  Sir  Peter  at  once 
told  him  that  everything  possible  should  be 
done  for  his  defense,  and  that  eminent  counsel 
183 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

were  then  on  their  way  from  London  for  him; 
and  he  with  Lady  Hawkshaw  would  bear  all  the 
costs  of  the  trial. 

"  And  we,"  cried  Daphne,  "  claim  the  right  to 
help;  and  when  you  are  acquitted,  you  will  find 
all  your  debts  paid,  and  need  not  trouble  your- 
self where  the  money  comes  from." 

Tears  sprang  to  Giles'  eyes  at  this,  and  he 
looked  gratefully  upon  us  all. 

"  Dear  friends,"  he  said,  "  I  thank  you ;  but 
I  shall  not  be  acquitted.  Sir  Thomas  Vernon 
and  Lady  Arabella  Stormont  thirst  for  my 
blood,  and  by  my  own  folly  I  have  put  the  noose 
around  my  neck.  But  I  say  to  you  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart  that  I  rather  would  die 
upon  the  gibbet  than  be  married  to  Lady  Ara- 
bella. God  was  good  to  me  in  giving  her  to  me 
as  my  enemy  instead  of  my  wife." 

There  was  something  in  this;  for  what  man 
could  think,  without  shuddering,  of  taking  Ara- 
bella Stormont  to  wife? 

I   saw  that   Giles  had   completely   recovered 
from  his  madness.     He  blamed  no  one,  frankly 
acknowledging  his  own  folly,  and  bore  himself 
as  became  an  officer  and  a  gentleman. 
184 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

Sir  Peter  would  by  no  means  admit  there  was 
the  smallest  chance  of  an  adverse  verdict;  but 
although  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  believe 
that  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law  would  be 
carried  out,  yet  I  thought  it  very  likely  that 
the  case  was  too  plain  for  Giles  to  escape  con- 
viction. The  conduct  of  Daphne  and  Lady 
Hawkshaw  to  him  was  such  that  I  came  out  of 
the  jail  with  a  deeper  reverence,  a  higher  es- 
teem for  women  than  I  had  known  before,  al- 
though I  had  always  believed  them  to  be  God's 
angels  on  earth  (with  a  few  exceptions).  So 
gentle  and  caressing  was  Daphne,  so  boldly  and 
determinedly  friendly  was  Lady  Hawkshaw, 
that  it  did  one's  heart  good.  Daphne  an- 
nounced her  intention  of  going  to  see  Sir 
Thomas  Vernon  and  pleading  with  him,  while 
Lady  Hawkshaw  threatened  to  give  him  her 
opinion  of  him  publicly,  which  was,  indeed,  a 
dreadful  threat. 

The  trial  came  off  at  the  February  Assizes, 
and  on  the  night  before  was  the  great  assize 
ball.  The  word  was  passed  around  that  all  of 
Giles  Vernon's  friends  were  to  attend  this  ball, 
by  way  of  showing  our  confidence  —  alas !  —  in 
185 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

his  acquittal.  Therefore,  on  that  night,  we  — 
that  is,  the  Hawkshaws,  Daphne,  and  I  —  were 
to  go  to  the  ball  in  all  the  state  we  could  muster. 
We  had  taken  lodgings  at  York  for  the  trial. 

The  evening  of  the  ball  found  the  streets' 
crowded  as  I  had  never  seen  them  before.  The 
great  case,  which  would  be  reached  within  a  day 
or  two,  brought  crowds  to  attend  the  Assizes, 
many  persons  coming  even  from  London. 
These  were  chiefly  gentlemen  of  the  nobility  and 
gentry  who  were  friends  of  Giles  Vernon's,  for 
never  man  had  so  many  friends. 

It  was  a  cold  bright  February  night ;  and  the 
street  in  front  of  the  assize  hall  where  the  ball 
was  held  was  packed  with  chariots,  chaises,  and 
people  on  foot,  flaring  torches  and  bawling  foot- 
men, as  if  it  were  a  London  rout.  As  our  car- 
riage passed  the  entrance,  the  way  was  blocked 
by  the  judges'  chariots,  from  which  they  de- 
scended in  state.  Our  coachman,  whipping  up 
to  get  the  next  place  in  line,  locked  wheels  with 
the  coach  of  Sir  Thomas  Vernon.  He  sat  back, 
his  face  visible  by  the  lamps  in  the  courtyard, 
and  as  unconcerned  as  if  the  case  which  had 
brought  us  all  to  York  was  one  of  his  servants 
186 


Toe  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

beating  the  watch,  instead  of  the  trial  of  his 
relative  and  heir  on  a  capital  charge. 

The  crowd  showed  its  disapproval  of  Sir 
Thomas  by  hurling  abusive  epithets  at  him, 
which  only  caused  him  to  smile.  But  he  had 
another  enemy  to  encounter,  which  was  Lady 
Hawkshaw,  and  in  full  sight  and  hearing  of  the 
judges,  as  they  stepped  with  stately  tread  up  the 
stairs,  occurred  a  battle  a  mort  between  her  and 
Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  to  the  intense  enjoyment  of 
the  crowd,  which  was  uproariously  on  Lady 
Hawkshaw's  side.  Neither  Sir  Peter  nor  I  took 
any  part  in  the  fray,  seeing  Lady  Hawkshaw 
had  the  best  of  it  from  the  start,  and  that, 
woman  against  man,  the  populace  was  heartily 
with  her. 

It  began  by  Lady  Hawkshaw's  putting  her 
head  out  of  the  coach  and  saying  at  the  top  of 
her  voice, —  and  what  a  voice !  —  "  Good  even- 
ing, Sir  Thomas.  We  are  called  here  upon  a 
sad  occasion,  but  I  hope  that  English  justice 
will  prevail  to  save  the  life  of  that  gallant 
young  man,  your  heir,  Giles  Vernon." 

To  which  Sir  Thomas,  with  a  wicked  grin, 
replied, — • 

187 


"  We  may  safely  leave  that  to  the  jury  and 
to  their  honors,  the  lords  justices,  Madam.  But 
if  a  young  villain  steals  an  heiress  against  her 
will,  he  incurs  the  extreme  penalty  of  the  law." 

"  Yes,"  replied  Lady  Hawkshaw,  "  I  dare  say 
you  think  the  law  will  deal  by  Giles  Vernon  as 
it  did  by  poor  Jack  Bassett,  whom  you  got 
transported  for  life  for  killing  a  hare  which  was 
already  half  dead ;  or  as  it  served  Tobias  Clark, 
the  blacksmith,  whom  you  got  hanged  for  steal- 
ing one  of  your  sheep." 

These  things  were  true,  and  the  crowd  gave 
three  loud  groans  for  Sir  Thomas  Vernon.  Be- 
fore he  could  get  his  breath  to  reply,  Lady 
Hawkshaw  continued, — 

"  No  wonder  you  are  afraid  to  sleep  without 
candles  burning  in  your  room  all  night,  Sir 
Thomas." 

Sir  Thomas  ground  his  teeth,  and  called, — 

"  Back  your  horses,  coachman,  and  drive 
out." 

But  the  crowd  would  by  no  means  permit 
it,  holding  on  to  the  wheels,  and  shouts  re- 
sounded of  "  Good  for  your  ladyship !  Hawk- 
shaw for  ever ! " 

188 


Tte  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

Sir  Peter  lay  back  laughing,  while  Daphne, 
by  way  of  encouraging  the  people,  clapped  her 
hands  and  kissed  Lady  Hawkshaw  on  the  cheek. 

"And  let  me  tell  you,  Sir  Thomas,"  con- 
tinued that  excellent  and  indomitable  woman, 
"  that  because  no  woman  could  ever  be  induced 
to  elope  with  you,  there  is  no  reason  why  run- 
away marriages  should  not  be  the  happiest  in 
the  world.  I  defied  my  family  and  as  good  as 
ran  away  with  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw,  and  he  was 
as  poor  as  Giles  Vernon;  but,  like  him,  he  was 
a  true  and  gallant  gentleman,  and  God  bless  the 
day  I  married  him !  " 

At  this  there  was  tremendous  cheering  for  Sir 
Peter,  and  he  took  off  his  hat  and  bowed,  kiss- 
ing Lady  Hawkshaw's  hand. 

Sir   Thomas  responded   by   calling   out   air- 

ily,- 

"  May  I  ask  your  ladyship  if  Sir  Peter  was 
a  free  agent  in  the  affair  of  your  marriage? 
for  I  believe  he  is  not  generally  held  account- 
able for  his  actions  since  that  day." 

Sir  Peter's  eyes  flashed  at  that,  but  Lady 
Hawkshaw  cried  back, — 

"  Right  you  are,  Sir  Thomas,  for  have  him 
189 


I  would,  and  if  he  had  not  agreed  to  marry  me 
I  should  have  died  of  disappointment.  Nor  has 
he  been  a  free  agent  since  that  day, —  not  for 
one  moment  free  from  my  love,  my  admiration, 
and  my  solicitude.  I  knew  you  well,  Sir 
Thomas,  forty  years  ago"  (this  was  a  cruel 
thrust,  for  Sir  Thomas  was  notoriously  touchy 
about  his  age),  "  and  I  would  no  more  have 
run  away  with  you  then  than  I  would  this  night 
—  and  God  knows  no  woman  in  all  the  three 
kingdoms  would  go  with  you  now !  " 

The  delight  of  the  crowd  was  extraordinary. 
I  believe  they  would  have  mobbed  Sir  Thomas, 
except  that  they  felt  that  Lady  Hawkshaw 
could  inflict  the  more  exquisite  misery  on  him. 
The  judges,  still  going  up  the  steps  slowly, 
probably  heard  every  word  of  this  controversy. 
The  crowd  then  parted,  and  taking  Sir  Thomas' 
horses  by  the  bits,  forced  them  to  give  place  to 
Lady  Hawkshaw's  coach,  and  she  descended 
amid  the  loudest  cheers  of  the  populace. 

Within  the  splendid  ball-room  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw's triumph  was  even  more  marked.  Num- 
bers of  great  people  flocked  around  her;  many 
of  them  had  been  witnesses  of  her  battle  royal 
190 


The  Loves  of  tLc  Lac^  Arabella 

with  Sir  Thomas,  and  the  story  had  quickly 
spread  to  the  rest.  Lady  Hawkshaw,  in  spite 
of  her  oddities,  had  always  maintained  the  re- 
spect of  all  who  knew  her,  and  never  saw  I  a 
woman  who  bore,  under  all  circumstances,  more 
unmistakably  the  air  of  a  great  lady;  whether 
squabbling  with  Sir  Peter,  laying  down  the  law 
to  the  world  at  large,  or  speaking  bad  French, 
she  was  invariably  the  woman  of  quality. 

The  scene  of  the  ball  was  so  gorgeous  that 
even  my  sad  heart  took  note  of  it.  The  hall 
was  ablaze  with  wax  lights,  and  a  huge  band  of 
musicians  brayed  and  trumpeted.  The  lords 
justices,  the  lords  lieutenants  of  the  three  Rid- 
ings, and  many  other  persons  were  in  full  court 
costumes,  and  the  ladies'  trains  of  brocade  and 
velvet  were  a  sight  to  see.  And  I  may  be  par- 
doned for  saying  that  Mistress  Richard  Glyn 
was  by  no  means  the  least  handsome  of  the 
women  present. 

By  Lady  Hawkshaw's  command  we  were  all 
to  look  cheerful,  and,  when  I  saw  the  outpour- 
ing of  popular  approval  upon  us  as  Giles  Vcr- 
non's  next  friends,  my  heart  grew  less  heavy. 

Lady  Hawkshaw  seated  herself  in  a  large 
191 


chair  at  the  end  of  the  hall,  where  she  held  a 
kind  of  court.  She  wore  a  gown  of  some  sort 
of  crimson  stuff,  with  a  great  tail  to  it,  and  on 
her  head  was  a  turban  with  a  bird  of  paradise 
in  it,  and  on  top  of  that,  her  huge  diamond 
tiara.  Everybody  flocked  to  pay  her  court,  and 
the  lord  lieutenant  of  the  East;  Riding  asked 
the  honor  of  her  hand  to  open  the  ball.  She 
promptly  agreed,  with  the  added  remark  that 
she  had  not  danced  for  thirty  years.  Sir  Peter 
attempted  to  interpose. 

"  You  can  not  do  it,  my  lady,"  he  said. 
"  You  will  trip  up  and  break  your  leg." 

"  Not  unless  you  trip  me  up,  Sir  Peter," 
responded  her  ladyship,  who  was  totally  unable 
to  keep  up  the  turtle-dove  style  toward  Sir  Peter 
for  any  appreciable  length  of  time.  "  My  legs 
are  as  good  as  the  lord  lieutenant's,  thank  God! 
and  I  shall  have  pleasure  in  dancing  with  his 
lordship." 

Obeying  a  look  from  her,  Daphne  accepted 
a  partner,  and  I  secured  one  in  the  lord  mayor's 
daughter.  Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  who  was  then 
in  the  hall,  had  the  ineffable  impudence  to  wish 
to  dance  in  the  country  dance  with  us,  but  he 


Tic  Loves  of  tLe  Lac^  Arabella 

was  met  everywhere  with  cold  looks  and  re- 
fusals. The  ladies  of  the  lords  lieutenants  were 
all  engaged ;  so  were  their  daughters.  It  was  a 
picture  to  see  him  going  along  the  line  of  ladies 
sitting  against  the  wall,  being  repulsed  by  all, 
and  his  composure  under  these  embarrassing  cir- 
cumstances was  the  most  extraordinary  thing  I 
ever  saw.  He  wore  a  smile  upon  his  sickly,  but 
handsome  face  all  the  time,  and,  at  last,  he 
found  a  partner  in  the  person  of  a  monstrous 
ugly  woman,  whose  husband  was  in  the  hides 
and  leather  trade. 

We  took  our  places,  Lady  Hawkshaw  and  the 
lord  lieutenant,  a  fine,  handsome  man,  many 
years  younger  than  she,  at  the  head  of  the  room. 
And  then  the  musicians  struck  up,  and  Lady 
Hawkshaw  began  to  dance. 

Such  dancing!  It  was  of  the  kind  that  was 
fashionable  before  the  American  war,  and  intro- 
duced so  miany  cuts,  capers,  pigeon-wings,  slips, 
slides,  and  pirouettes,  that  it  was  really  an  art 
in  itself.  And  her  agility  was  surprising. 
With  her  train  over  her  arm,  her  tiara  blazing, 
and  her  bird  of  paradise  nodding  violently, 
Lady  Hawkshaw's  small  high-bred  feet 
193 


twinkled.  She  was  a  large  woman,  too,  and  she 
proved  that  her  boast  about  her  legs  was  well 
founded.  When  she  came  face  to  face  with  Sir 
Thomas  Vernon  in  the  dance,  instead  of  turning 
him,  she  folded  her  arms  and  sailed  around 
him,  carefully  avoiding  touching  his  hand. 
And  he,  the  old  sinner,  being  acquainted  with 
that  ancient  style  of  dancing,  made  a  caper  so 
exactly  like  her  ladyship's,  with  so  grave  a 
countenance,  that  the  whole  ball-room  was  in  a 
titter.  But  although  the  people  might  laugh 
at  Sir  Thomas'  excellent  mimicry,  the  sentiment 
was  totally  against  him,  and  he  found  difficulty 
in  getting  gentlemen  to  notice  him,  or  ladies  to 
dance  with  him.  With  Lady  Hawkshaw,  on  the 
contrary,  it  was  every  man's  desire  to  dance; 
she  was  besieged  with  partners,  young  and  old ; 
but  having  shown  what  she  could  do,  she  rested 
upon  her  laurels,  and  sat  in  state  the  rest  of  the 
evening,  fanning  herself  with  vast  dignity  and 
composure,  and  occasionally  snapping  at  Sir 
Peter,  who,  it  must  be  admitted,  made  no  great 
figure  at  a  ball. 

At  last  it  was  over,  and  we  returned  to  our 
lodgings.     The  next  day  but  one  we  were  on 
194 


Tic  Loves  of  tLe  Lac^  Arabella 

our  way  to  the  assize  hall  for  the  trial  of  Giles 
Vernon. 

A  tremendous  crowd  was  present,  and  there 
was  difficulty  in  gaining  an  entrance ;  some  one, 
however,  in  the  multitude  set  up  a  shout  of 
"  Way  for  Lady  Hawkshaw !  "  and  the  people 
fell  back,  leaving  us  a  clear  path  to  the  door, 
and  into  the  hall  itself. 

Within  that  place  of  judgment  all  was  dig- 
nity and  decorum.  The  lords  justices  in  their 
robes  and  wigs  sat  like  statues;  and,  presently, 
when  we  were  all  seated  and  the  crier  had  pro- 
nounced the  court  open,  Giles  Vernon  was 
brought  in,  and  placed  in  the  prisoners'  dock. 
He  looked  pale  from  his  late  confinement,  but 
I  thought  I  had  never  seen  his  plain  features 
so  nearly  handsome.  His  fine  figure  was  nobly 
set  off  by  the  identical  brown  and  silver  suit 
which  the  poor  fellow  had  bought  for  his  wed- 
ding with  Lady  Arabella,  and,  in  a  flash,  came 
back  to  me  that  strange  vision  I  had  had  at 
his  London  lodgings  on  the  night  that  this  un- 
fortunate elopement  was  first  talked  of  between 
us.  My  heart  stood  still,  and  I  grew  sick  and 
faint  at  the  recollection  of  the  rest  of  that 
195 


Tnc  Loves  or  tie  Lacbr  Arabella 

dream,     or    revelation,     or     whatever    it    was. 

Giles,  meanwhile,  had  bowed  respectfully  to 
the  judges,  then  to  the  assembled  people,  who 
very  generally  returned  his  salutation  with 
every  mark  of  politeness.  Turning  to  where 
we  sat,  he  bowed  and  smiled.  We  all  rose,  and 
Lady  Hawkshaw  and  Daphne  made  him  deep 
curtseys.  A  jury  was  soon  selected  and  sworn, 
and  the  first  witness  called  was  Lady  Arabella 
Stormont. 

In  a  moment  she  entered,  leaning  upon  the 
arm  of  Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  and  was  by  him 
escorted  to  her  place  in  the  witness-box. 

Her  beauty  was  almost  unearthly.  She  wore 
a  black  gown  and  a  simple  white  cap,  under 
which  the  curls  of  her  rich  hair  shone  like  bur- 
nished gold.  She  was  perfectly  composed,  and, 
after  being  sworn,  began  her  story  in  a  manner 
the  most  quiet  and  calm.  A  deep  stillness 
reigned  through  the  vast  room,  and  every  one 
in  it  caught  her  lowest  word. 

Her  testimony  was  entirely  clear  and  straight- 
forward. She  related  the  circumstances  of  her 
being  dragged  off,  while  coming  out  of  the 
playhouse  at  Scarborough;  of  finding  herself 
196 


Tie  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

alone  in  the  chaise  with  Giles  Vernon,  who  told 
her  he  was  taking  her  to  Scotland  to  marry  her ; 
that  she  struggled  violently  and  endeavored  to 
get  out  of  the  chaise,  and  that  she  was  withheld 
by  force  by  Giles,  who  severely  hurt  her  wrists, 
causing  blood  to  flow ;  and  finally,  that  when  she 
began  to  scream,  Giles  put  his  hand  over  her 
mouth  and  stifled  her  cries.  She  said  that  this 
conduct  was  kept  up  the  whole  of  the  night, 
until  they  reached  Gretna  Green  at  daylight; 
that  all  the  time  Giles  was  imploring  her  to 
marry  him,  then  threatening  to  kill  himself  or 
her;  and  that  she  told  him  many  times  she  pre- 
ferred death  to  marriage  with  him ;  and  at  last, 
on  reaching  Gretna  Green,  she  defied  him  and 
escaped  from  him. 

When  she  had  concluded,  there  was  an  omi- 
nous stillness  for  a  time,  and  then  I  saw  some- 
thing which  struck  a  chill  to  my  heart.  I  had 
stealthily  kept  my  eyes  fixed  on  the  judges  to 
see  whether  they  gave  in  their  countenances 
any  signs  of  lenity  or  severity.  They  were  al- 
together unmoved,  except  one,  who  was  reported 
to  be  a  most  merciful  man.  He  grew  pale  and 
paler  as  Lady  Arabella's  story  progressed,  and 
197 


Tie.  Loves  of  tie  Lacjy  Arabella 

I  saw  him  several  times  wipe  the  cold  sweat  from 
his  brow,  and  at  last  a  sigh  broke  from  him; 
but  I  think  no  one  noted  it  but  me,  for  the  mul- 
titude of  people  were  absorbed  in  the  sight  of 
this  beautiful  young  woman,  so  coolly  swear- 
ing away  the  life  of  a  man  who  had  loved  her. 

Giles  Vernon  bore  the  ordeal  unflinchingly, 
and  when  at  intervals  she  looked  toward  him 
with  a  quiet  hatred  in  her  glance,  he  gazed 
steadily  back  at  her. 

She  was  then  to  be  cross-examined.  Many 
questions  were  asked  her  by  the  great  London 
barrister,  who  was  one  of  the  three  defending 
Giles.  One  query  was,  whether  she  had  ever 
given  Mr.  Vernon  reason  to  think  she  would 
marry  him,  to  which  she  replied, — 

"  No ;  never  in  my  life." 

She  was  then  asked  if  there  was  another  gen- 
tleman in  the  case,  and  for  the  first  time  she 
showed  confusion.  Her  face  grew  crimson,  and 
she  remained  silent.  The  question  was  not 
pressed,  and  she  was  soon  permitted  to  retire. 
When  she  passed  out  of  the  hall,  she  was  the 
divinest  picture  of  beauty  and  modesty  I  ever 
saw.  Her  eyes  sought  the  floor,  and  a  delicious 
198 


TLc  Loves  of  tic  Lacbr  Arabella 

blush  mantled  her  cheek.  I  believe  that  many 
persons,  under  the  spell  of  her  beauty,  thought 
that  she  was  an  unwilling  witness,  and  pitied 
her  youth  and  inexperience. 

But  it  was  hanging  testimony  she  gave,  and 
well  she  knew  it. 

After  the  examination  of  the  postboys  and 
other  witnesses  for  the  prosecution,  I  was  called 
as  the  first  witness  for  Giles.  I  told  the  circum- 
stances of  our  agreement  to  run  away  with  the 
two  charmers  of  our  hearts ;  and  the  fact  that  I 
had  been  so  readily  forgiven,  not  only  by 
Daphne  herself,  but  by  Sir  Peter  and  Lady 
Hawkshaw,  I  saw  produced  a  good  effect.  But 
when  I  was  asked  by  the  other  side  if  I  had  ever 
seen,  or  if  Giles  had  ever  claimed,  any  willing- 
ness on  Lady  Arabella's  part  to  go  off  with  him, 
I  broke  down  miserably.  My  testimony  did 
Giles  but  little  good,  I  fear. 

Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw  was  the  next  witness. 
It  was  plain  from  the  start  that  he  desired  to 
help  Giles,  and  likewise  that  he  knew  very  little 
of  the  affair  until  it  was  all  over.  But  he 
proved  a  most  entertaining,  if  discursive  wit- 
ness. 

199 


Sir  Peter  evidently  thought  the  witness-box 
was  his  own  quarter-deck,  and  he  proceeded  to 
harangue  the  court  in  his  best  manner  as  a  flag 
officer.  He  talked  of  everything  except  the 
case;  he  gave  a  most  animated  description  of 
the  fight  between  the  Ajax  on  our  side  and  the 
Indomptable  and  Xantippe  on  the  other,  prais- 
ing Giles  Vernon's  gallantry  at  every  turn.  He 
also  aired  his  views  on  the  subject  of  the  flannel 
shirts  furnished  to  the  navy,  alleging  that  some 
rascally  contractors  ought  to  be  hanged  at  the 
yard-arm  for  the  quality  supplied;  and  wound 
up  by  declaring,  with  great  gusto,  that  if  an 
officer  in  his  Majesty's  service  desired  to 
marry  a  young  lady,  it  was  an  act  of  spirit 
to  carry  her  off,  and  for  his  part,  fellows 
of  that  sort  were  the  kind  he  should  select 
to  lead  a  boarding  party,  while  the  sneak- 
ing, law-abiding  fellows  should  be  under  the 
hatches  when  the  ship  was  cleared  for  action. 

Sir  Peter's  rambling  but  vigorous  talk  was 
not  without  its  effect,  upon  which  I  think  he  had 
shrewdly  calculated.  In  vain  counsel  for  the 
crown  tried  to  check  him;  Sir  Peter  bawled  at 
them  to  pipe  down,  and  remarked  aloud  of  the 
200 


'  That  lawyer  fellow  is  three  sheets  in  the  wind!"     Page  201 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

senior  counsel  who  had  been  most  active  in  try- 
ing to  suppress  him, — 

"  That  lawyer  fellow  is  three  sheets  in  the 
wind,  with  the  other  one  a-flapping !  " 

The  judges,  out  of  respect  to  him,  made  no 
great  effort  to  subdue  him,  and  he  had  the  sat- 
isfaction of  telling  his  story  his  own  way. 
When  the  prosecution  took  him  in  hand,  they 
found,  though,  that  he  could  very  well  keep  to 
the  subject-matter,  and  they  did  not  succeed  in 
getting  anything  of  the  slightest  consequence 
out  of  him.  When  he  stepped  down,  I  saw  that 
he  had  in  reality  done  much  more  good  to  Giles' 
cause  than  I  had,  although  he  knew  little  about 
the  facts,  and  I  knew  all. 

Then  came  Lady  Hawkshaw's  testimony. 
Sir  Peter's  was  not  a  patch  on  it.  Like  him, 
she  really  had  no  material  evidence  to  give,  but, 
with  a  shrewdness  equal  to  his,  she  made  a  very 
good  plea  for  the  prisoner.  She  began  with  a 
circumstantial  account  of  her  own  marriage  to 
Sir  Peter,  in  which  the  opposition  of  her  family 
was  painted  in  lurid  hues.  In  vain  was  she 
again  and  again  checked ;  she  managed  to  tell 
her  tale  against  the  vigorous  objections  of  the 
201 


Tic  Loves  of  tLe  Lady  Arabella 

prosecutors,  and  the  somewhat  feeble  and  per- 
functory rebukes  from  the  bench.  The  jury, 
however,  were  plainly  so  interested  in  it,  that  no 
serious  attempt  was  made  to  stop  her  —  not 
that  it  would  have  availed  anything,  for  Lady 
Hawkshaw  was  not  used  to  stopping  for  any 


one. 
u 


No  doubt  my  family  could  have  hounded 
Sir  Peter  for  marrying  me,"  she  announced  in 
the  beginning,  "  but  my  family,  your  honors,  is 
an  honorable  one,  and  would  not  condescend  to 
nasty  tricks  like — "  Here  she  fixed  her  great 
black  eyes  on  Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  who  smiled 
blandly  and  took  snuff. 

"  And  as  for  a  nwi  expecting  opposition  in  a 
girl  he  is  willing  to  marry,  I  ask  your  honors, 
does  a  man  exist  who  can  believe,  until  it  is 
proved  to  him  beyond  cavil,  that  there  is  a 
woman  alive  who  would  not  jump  for  joy  to 
marry  him  ?  " 

This  produced  so  much  laughter  that  the 
bailiffs  had  to  enforce  order  in  the  hall. 

Lady  Hawkshaw  then,  with  great  ingenuity, 
referred  to  Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  "  who,  in  those 
days,  forty  years  ago,  was  not  called  '  Wicked 
202 


Tic  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

Sir  Thomas,'  but  plain  '  Lying  Tom  Vernon  ' ! " 
This  produced  a  regular  uproar,  during  which 
Lady  Hawkshaw,  with  great  complacency, 
fanned  herself.  After  a  warning  from  the  pre- 
siding justice  to  keep  to  the  matter  in  hand,  she 
curtsied  deeply  to  him,  and  immediately  re- 
sumed her  account  of  Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  in 
which  she  told  of  a  certain  occasion,  in  the  time 
of  the  American  war,  when,  as  the  royal  family 
was  passing  to  chapel  at  Windsor,  hisses  were 
heard,  which  were  directly  traced  to  Sir  Thomas 
Vernon,  the  king  having  declined  to  receive  him 
at  the  levee  on  account  of  his  notoriously  bad 
character.  And  Sir  Thomas,  being  thrust  out, 
was  taken  by  some  of  the  inhabitants  of  Wind- 
sor, and  ducked  in  a  neighboring  horse-pond. 
At  this  point,  the  judge  himself  courteously  but 
firmly  interrupted  Lady  Hawkshaw,  and  in- 
formed her  that  she  could  not  be  permitted  to  go 
on  in  that  strain. 

"  I  shall  observe  your  lordship's  caution,"  she 
replied  politely,  and  straightway  launched  into 
a  description  of  Sir  Thomas'  appearance  when 
he  emerged  from  the  horse-pond,  which  brought 
a  smile  to  every  face  in  court  —  including  even 
203 


Toe  Loves  of  tlie  Lacbr  Arabella 

the  judge's  —  except  the  victim  himself,  who 
bit  his  lip,  and  scowled  in  fury. 

The  judges  afterward  said  that  Lady  Hawk- 
shaw  proved  to  be  the  most  unmanageable  wit- 
ness any  and  all  of  them  had  ever  encountered; 
for  in  spite  of  themj,  she  gave  a  circumstantial 
account  of  every  misdeed  Sir  Thomas  Vernon 
had  ever  been  guilty  of  in  his  life,  as  far  as  she 
knew. 

The  crown  lawyers,  very  wisely,  declined  to 
cross-examine  this  witness.  When  she  stepped 
down  out  of  the  witness-box  and  took  Sir  Peter's 
arm,  she  passed  close  to  the  presiding  justice, 
who  happened  to  have  his  snuff-box  open  in  his 
hand.  My  lady  deliberately  stopped  and  took 
a  pinch  out  of  the  judge's  box,  remarking 
suavely, — 

"  Your  lordship  shows  excellent  taste  in  pre- 
ferring the  Spanish ! " 

I  thought  his  lordship  would  drop  out  of  his 
chair. 

The  evidence  being  all  in,  and  the  arguments 

made,   a  recess   was  taken.     We  were  not  the 

only  ones  who  paid  our  respects  immediately  to 

Giles    Vernon.     Many    persons    went    forward 

204 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

and  shook  his  hand,  while  I  think  Sir  Thomas 
did  not  receive  a  cordial  greeting  from  a  single 
man  or  woman  in  the  hall,  although  he  was 
known  to  every  one  present. 

We  got  a  hurried  dirner  at  the  tavern,  and 
returned  at  once  to  the  hall.  It  was  about  half- 
past  four  in  the  winter  afternoon,  and  the  day 
being  dark  and  lowering,  candles  were  required. 
The  lord  justice's  instructions  to  the  jury  were 
then  read,  and  my  heart  sank,  as,  in  a  dreadful 
monotone,  he  expounded  the  law  to  them.  Alas ! 
As  long  as  the  statute  against  the  abduction  of 
an  heiress  remained,  Giles  Vernon  was  guilty  of 
a  capital  crime;  and  not  one  word  uttered  by 
any  one  of  us  who  testified  in  his  behalf  did 
aught  but  prove  the  more  strongly  that  he  had 
carried  Lady  Arabella  off  against  her  will. 

The  jury  retired,  and,  the  day  having  been 
fatiguing,  the  lords  justices  determined  to  wait 
in  their  retiring-room  for  an  hour,  where  they 
could  be  called,  if  the  jury  promptly  reached  a 
verdict.  This  troubled  me  —  this  expectation 
of  a  quick  decision. 

The  judges  having  retired  and  suspended  the 
sitting  of  the  court,  we  at  once  went  over  and 
205 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

sat  with  Giles,  who  maintained  perfectly  his 
manly  composure.  He  laughed  with  Sir  Peter 
over  some  of  the  events  of  the  fight  between  the 
Ajax  and  her  two  enemies,  complimented  Lady 
Hawkshaw  upon  her  triumph  over  the  laws  of 
the  land  relating  to  evidence,  and  said  many 
kind  things  to  Daphne. 

While  we  were  in  the  midst  of  a  cheerful  con- 
versation, and  not  observant  of  what  was  going 
on  in  the  other  part  of  the  hall,  we  suddenly 
heard  the  crier  proclaiming  the  entrance  of  their 
lordships,  and  at  the  same  moment  Sir  Thomas 
Vernon  entered  by  another  door.  Hanging  on 
his  arm  was  Lady  Arabella  Stormont.  And 
then  the  jury  filed  in  with  solemn  faces,  and 
what  followed  all  seemed  to  me  like  some  horrid 
dream. 

Although  several  persons  were  moving  about, 
there  seemed  to  me  a  dreadful  silence;  and  al- 
though the  candles  burned,  and  a  great  hobgob- 
lin of  a  moon  peered  in  at  the  windows,  there 
seemed  an  awful  darkness.  And  after  a  time, 
in  which  I  was  oppressed  by  this  ghostly  silence 
and  darkness,  I  saw  the  senior  lord  justice  put 
on  a  black  cap,  and  sentence  Giles  Vernon  to  be 
206 


TLc  Loves  of  tic  Lady  Arabella 

hanged  by  the  neck  until  he  was  dead,  that  day 
fortnight. 

My  eyes  roved  aimlessly  around,  and  fell  at 
that  moment  on  Lady  Arabella  Stormont.  A 
faint  smile  flickered  on  her  lovely  mouth. 


207 


In  that  hour  of  horror,  I  became  weaker  and 
more  helpless  than  the  weakest  and  most  help- 
less woman.  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw 
were  too  stunned  to  think.  I  remember,  now, 
the  look  of  despair  on  Sir  Peter's  countenance, 
where  I  had  never  before  seen  anything  but 
sturdy  courage, —  and  it  was  an  added  terror. 
And  the  one  who  retained  her  senses,  who  sug- 
gested a  forlorn  hope,  was  Daphne, —  the 
youngest,  the  least  experienced  of  us  all. 

"To  London!"  she  said.  "To  the  king, 
for  pardon !  I  myself  will  go  upon  my  knees  to 
him.  He  shall  —  he  shall  pardon  Giles !  " 

We  were  all  huddled  together,  then,  in  our 
parlor  at  the  inn,  having  just  returned  from 
the  assize  hall. 

"  Richard  and  I  will  go,"  said  Sir  Peter. 

"  And  Daphne  and  I  will  stay  and  comfort 
Giles,"  spoke  Lady  Hawkshaw. 

A  week  to  London,   and  a  week  to  return, 
was   easy  traveling  —  but  how   long  would   it 
208 


TLc  Loves  of  tlie  Lac^  Arabella 

take  us  to  reach  the  king?  And  what  min- 
isters would  be  in  town?  And  what  would  be 
the  earliest  moment  we  could  leave  London? 
All  these  things  were  in  our  minds  to  torment 
us.  Nevertheless,  within  half  an  hour,  we  were 
on  our  way. 

While  we  were  demanding  the  best  horses, 
and  having  them  put  to,  an  insolent  groom 
came  in  the  stable-yard,  and  asked  for  horses 
for  Sir  Thomas  Vernon  and  Lady  Arabella 
Stormont  and  Lady  Arabella's  companion,  Mrs. 
Whitall,  and  two  servants,  for  London.  The 
head  hostler  replied  roughly  that  they  had  no 
time  to  attend  him  then,  as  they  were  starting 
Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw  and  Mr.  Glyn  off  for  Lon- 
don, too,  to  beg  Mr.  Giles  Vernon's  life.  The 
man,  at  this,  grew  saucy,  and  offered  a  hand- 
some bonus  for  the  horses  which  were  then  being 
put  to  for  us.  I  caught  him  by  the  collar,  and 
threw  him  out  of  the  stable-yard,  where  the 
hostlers  drubbed  him  soundly,  thank  God ! 

One  hurried  kiss  to  Daphne,  a  brief  farewell 
between  Sir  Peter  and  Lady  Hawkshaw,  and 
we  were  off  for  London.  Our  race  into  Scot- 
land was  nothing  to  it. 

209 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

The  roads  were  much  cut  up,  and  although 
we  traveled  day  and  night,  we  were  more  than 
four  days  on  the  way.  We  reached  London 
early  in  the  day;  and,  without  stopping  for 
food,  or  to  change  our  linen,  we  went  to  the 
Admiralty.  There  we  got  the  information  that 
the  First  Lord  was  visiting  in  the  country,  in 
Kent.  Within  the  hour,  I  was  on  my  way 
to  Kent.  When  I  reached  the  place,  the  First 
Lord  had  left,  not  more  than  two  hours  before, 
for  London.  I  had  passed  him  on  the  road, 
without  knowing  him.  I  returned  to  London. 
Sir  Peter  had  seen  several  members  of  the 
government,  meanwhile,  and  had  been  privately 
informed  that  the  king  was  suffering  mentally ; 
and  although  hopes  were  entertained  that  the 
spell  would  pass  away,  without  the  necessity  of 
informing  the  country  or  Parliament,  still,  ac- 
cess to  him  was  refused  to  all  by  his  physicians, 
except  the  members  of  his  family  and  immediate 
household,  and  they  were  charged  not  to  men- 
tion business  to  him;  it  would  be  impossible  to 
approach  him,. 

When  Sir  Peter  told  me  this,  I  became  so 
weak  I  was  forced  to  sit  down.  After  a  few 
210 


TL&  Loves  of  tic  Lac^  Arabella 

minutes  of  agony,  a  desperate  resolve  came  to 
me.  I  rose,  and  said, — 

"  I  have  a  scheme  —  desperate,  but  not  im- 
possible. Go  with  me  to  the  Prince  of  Wales. 
He  is  at  Carlton  House,  but  goes  back  and 
forth  to  Windsor." 

Sir  Peter  jumped  at  this  poor  chance,  and 
we  agreed  to  go  immediately. 

We  had  left  York  on  a  Friday,  and  had 
reached  London  on  the  Monday.  Two  days 
had  been  lost  in  the  journey  to  Kent ;  and  it  was 
now  late  in  the  evening  of  Wednesday.  We 
had,  luckily,  brought  our  uniforms  along;  and, 
dressing  ourselves  in  them, —  Sir  Peter  with  all 
his  orders  sewn  on  his  coat, —  we  called  a  hack- 
ney-coach, and  drove  to  Carlton  House. 

When  we  got  there,  it  was  about  ten  o'clock 
in  the  evening.  The  windows  were  brilliantly 
lighted  up,  and  it  was  about  the  hour  that  the 
Prince  of  Wales  was  known  to  be  in  his  best 
humor  —  but  the  hour  when  he  most  hated  to 
be  disturbed. 

We  descended,  and  the  sentries  passed  us 
through,  on  account  of  our  uniforms  and  Sir 
Peter's  decorations  on  his  breast.  We  reached 
211 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

the  door,  and  knocked.  The  porter  opened  the 
door  gingerly,  when  Sir  Peter,  giving  it  a  kick, 
walked  in,  followed  by  me.  The  man  at- 
tempted to  arrest  our  progress,  but  Sir  Peter 
said  to  him  fiercely, — 

"  Do  you  think,  you  damned  lackey,  that 
you  can  be  insolent  to  an  admiral  in  his  Majes- 
ty's service? "  The  man  apologized  humbly 
and  ushered  us  into  a  large  reception-room  on 
the  first  floor,  saying  he  would  call  the  gentle- 
man of  the  chambers. 

We  seated  ourselves.  Even  in  that  time  of 
agony,  I  noticed  the  beauty  of  the  room  —  in- 
deed, my  senses  seemed  preternaturally  acute, 
and  every  incident  of  that  dreadful  time  is  deep- 
ly fixed  in  my  mind.  The  ceiling  was  of  gilt, 
while  around  the  walls  were  paintings  of  Flora. 
A  gilt  chandelier  diffused  light  through  the 
apartment,  and  at  one  side  was  a  pair  of  large 
folding  doors. 

After  a  long  wait,  a  gentleman,  Mr.  Digby, 
appeared.  He  received  us  politely,  but  said  it 
was  impossible  to  disturb  the  Prince  then,  as  he 
was  just  sitting  down  to  piquet.  Sir  Peter  re- 
mained silent ;  he  was  used  to  giving  orders,  and 


the  words,  "  It  is  impossible  to  see  his  Royal 
Highness,"  were  peculiarly  disagreeable  to  him. 

I  then  made  my  plea.  I  told  Mr.  Digby 
that  the  life  of  a  gallant  officer  and  gentleman 
was  in  jeopardy,  and  that  we  begged  to  see  his 
Royal  Highness,  in  the  hope  that  the  king 
might  be  approached. 

"  That,  too,  is  impossible,"  coldly  replied  Mr. 
Digby.  "  The  king  is  far  from  well." 

Just  then,  some  one  on  the  other  side  of  the 
folding  doors  opened  one  of  them  the  least  bit 
in  the  world,  and  then  closed  it  —  but  not  be- 
fore we  had  seen  streams  of  light  pouring  from 
it,  a  long  table  brilliant  with  plate  and  orna- 
ments, and  a  company  of  about  twenty  gentle- 
men sitting  around  it,  and  at  one  end  sat  a 
personage  whom  we  at  once  recognized  as  the 
Prince  of  Wales. 

Without  a  word,  Sir  Peter  arose,  and,  darting 
toward  the  door, —  for  he  was  ever  an  agile 
man, —  threw  it  open,  and  walked  into  the  pres- 
ence of  his  Royal  Highness. 

"  Sir,"  said  he,  marching  up  to  the  Prince, 
"  I  am  Admiral  Sir  Peter  Hawkshaw,  and  I 
have  boarded  you,  so  to  speak,  sir,  in  order  to 
213 


Toe  Loves  or  tne  Lacy  Arabella 

save  the  life  of  one  of  the  gallantest  officers  in 
the  service  of  his  Majesty." 

I  had  always  heard  that  his  Royal  Highness 
was  a  gentleman,  and  I  saw  then  such  an  ex- 
hibition of  readiness  and  good  taste  as  I  never 
saw  before,  and  never  expect  to  see  again. 
Every  one  at  the  table,  except  the  Prince, 
seemed  astounded  at  the  sudden  entrance  and 
startling  address  of  a  short  active  little  man  in 
an  admiral's  uniform.  But  the  Prince  offered 
Sir  Peter  his  hand  in  the  coolest  manner  in  the 
world,  saying, — 

"  Most  happy  to  meet  you,  Sir  Peter.  I 
recollect  well  that  you  carried  the  Indomptable 
by  boarding  very  successfully.  But  how  did 
you  get  past  the  watch-dogs  at  the  door,  my 
dear  sir?  " 

"  By  carrying  sail  hard,  your  Royal  High- 
ness," responded  Sir  Peter,  "  and  seeing  this 
door  open,  faith,  said  I,  to  myself,  having  risked 
my  skin  these  forty  years  for  the  king  and  his 
successors,  sure,  I  can  risk  it  once  more  by  walk- 
ing in  on  my  Prince,  and  here  I  am,  sir,  ready 
to  state  my  case.  That  bloody  popinjay,  Dig- 
by  "  (Digby  was  right  behind  him),  "wanted 
214 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

me  to  let  you  alone  because  you  were  about  to  go 
to  piquet,  but  I  think  no  prince  of  England 
would  sacrifice  a  man's  life  to  a  game  of 
piquet." 

"  Certainly  not  I,  Sir  Peter,"  answered  his 
Royal  Highness,  rising,  "  and  now  I  have  an 
hour  entirely  at  your  service." 

"  Sir,"  said  Sir  Peter,  "  I  ask  the  honor  of 
shaking  hands  with  you,  not  as  a  royal  prince, 
but  as  an  honest  man  and  good  fellow." 

I  think  the  Prince  was  ever  susceptible  to 
honest  praise,  for  he  was  no  fool,  and  he  was 
undoubtedly  pleased  when  Sir  Peter  wrung  his 
hand.  He  then  led  the  way  into  another  room, 
and  the  door  was  closed. 

The  rest  of  the  party  behaved  very  civilly  to 
me,  and  I  accepted  thankfully  an  invitation  to 
have  something  to  eat  and  drink.  They  were 
merciful  to  me,  seeing  my  distress  of  mind,  and 
did  not  plague  me  with  questions,  but  resumed 
their  conversation  with  one  another. 

Presently  the  Prince  and  Sir  Peter  appeared, 
and  his  Royal  Highness  said,  with  that  charm 
of  manner  which  seduced  some  men  and  many 
women, — 

215 


Tic  Loves  of  tLe  Lady  Arabella 

"  Hark'ee,  Sir  Peter ;  I  do  not  promise  that 
the  affair  will  be  complete  before  Sunday  night ; 
I  go  to  Windsor  early  in  the  morning,  and  two 
days  is  a  brief  time  in  which  to  arrange  so  im- 
portant a  matter.  But  if  you  will  be  at  Wind- 
sor on  Sunday  morning,  I  pledge  you  my  word 
as  a  gentleman  the  paper  shall  be  ready,  signed, 
sealed,  and  delivered." 

At  that  Sir  Peter  fairly  broke  down,  and 
could  only  say,  "  God  bless  you,  sir,  God  bless' 
you !  "  and  the  Prince,  turning  the  old  man's 
emotion  off  gently,  smiled  and  said, — 

"  'Tis  for  the  preservation  of  the  gallantry 
of  our  sex,  Sir  Peter,  that  this  young  officer 
must  not  hang." 

He  warmly  invited  us  to  remain  and  finish  up 
the  wine,  and  then  one  of  the  gentlemen  at  the 
table,  whether  of  design  or  not,  mentioned  the 
extraordinary  reports  which  had  just  reached 
London  concerning  the  trial  at  York,  and  I,  en- 
couraged thereto  by  a  subtle  look  and  a  ques- 
tion of  his  Royal  Highness,  told  the  whole  story, 
assisted  by  Sir  Peter.  It  was  listened  to  with 
the  deepest  interest. 

Lady  Arabella  Stormont  was  known  to  every 
216 


Tic  Loves  of  tic  Lacly  Arabella 

person  there,  and  the  Prince  remarked  that  he 
had  danced  with  her  at  the  last  birthnight  ball. 
Her  infatuation  for  Overton  was  well  known 
and  freely  commented  on,  and  the  strange  meas- 
ures that  women  will  sometimes  venture  upon  in 
the  interest,  as  they  think,  of  the  man  they  love, 
was  exemplified  in  her  testifying  against  Giles 
Vernon.  Sir  Thomas  Vernon's  hatred  of  his  heir 
was  also  well  known, —  and  as  the  web  was  un- 
folded to  the  Prince  he  listened  with  an  air  of 
the  profoundest  thought,  and  his  comment  was 
significant, — 

"  The  king  can  pardon." 

He  had  pity  on  us  and  did  not  press  us  to 
remain  to  cards,  so  we  left  Carlton  House  about 
an  hour  after  entering  it,  and  with  hearts  im- 
measurably lighter.  Our  first  thought  was  to 
hasten  back  to  our  lodgings  to  send  off  our 
good  news  to  Lady  Hawkshaw  and  Daphne  by 
the  northern  mail. 

Sir  Peter  told  me  then  that  the  Prince  had 
directed  him  to  go  to  Windsor  in  the  morning 
and  remain,  and  that  he  himself  would  bring 
him  back  on  the  Sunday  morning,  if  the  counter 
signatures  to  his  Majesty's  could  not  be  had 
217 


Tnc  Loves  of  tne  Lacy  Arabella 

before.  The  Prince  was  quite  familiar  with  the 
procedure,  and  engaged  to  get  the  pardon  from 
the  king  without  difficulty. 

Early  next  morning  Sir  Peter  left  me.  It 
was  agreed  that  I  should  proceed  on  the  Sunday 
morning  to  the  Bear  and  Churn,  a  tavern  and 
posting  station  near  London,  on  the  northern 
road,  to  arrange  in  advance  for  the  best  cattle, 
in  order  that  not  a  moment  might  be  lost  in  re- 
turning to  York.  So,  after  two  miserable  days 
alone  in  London,  while  Sir  Peter  was  at  Wind- 
sor, I  was  glad  on  Sunday  morning  to  be  on  the 
northern  road,  preparing  for  our  rapid  return 
to  York.  The  Bear  and  Churn  was  directly  on 
the  highway,  and  was  well  out  of  London,  be- 
ing surrounded  by  green  fields  and  orchards. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  more  like  April 
than  February.  The  greenness  of  the  earth, 
the  blueness  of  the  heavens,  the  quiet  of  the 
country,  after  the  rattle  and  roar  and  dun  skies 
of  London,  were  balm  to  my  soul. 

I  reached  the  inn  by  ten  o'clock;  and,  having 

arranged  for  their  best  horses,  and  sent  word 

two  stations  ahead,  I  sat  down  to  pass  the  day 

as    best    I    might.     I    wrote    a   long    letter   to 

218 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

Daphne,  and  then,  it  being  about  twelve  o'clock, 
I  went  out  for  a  walk. 

There  was  a  pretty  pathway,  through  a  little 
grove,  toward  a  rolling  field,  next  the  highway. 
I  took  this  path,  and  presently  came  face  to 
face,  at  a  turn  in  the  path,  with  Overton.  He 
was  singularly  dressed  for  a  man  of  his  quality 
and  profession. 

He  wore  black  clothes,  with  plain  silver 
buckles  at  the  knees,  and  black  silk  stockings 
and  shoes.  His  hair,  unpowdered,  was  tied  with 
a  black  ribbon;  but  he  wore  no  crape  or  vestige 
of  mourning.  I  had  ever  thought  him  the 
handsomest  man  in  England;  but  in  this  garb, 
so  different  from  the  brilliant  uniform  or  other 
exquisite  dress  in  which  I  had  heretofore  seen 
him,  he  looked  like  an  Apollo.  He  greeted  me 
gravely,  but  not  impolitely;  and  we  walked 
along  together.  He  had  heard  of  my  mar- 
riage, and  felicitated  me  on  it. 

My  heart  was  so  full  of  Giles  Vernon  that  I 
burst  out  with  the  story.  It  seemed  quite  new 
to  him;  and  he  listened  to  it  with  breathless 
attention,  occasionally  ejaculating  his  horror  at 
the  conduct  of  Sir  Thomas  Vernon  and  of 
219 


Tnc  Loves  of  tie  Lacb  Arabella 

Lady  Arabella  Stormont.  It  gave  me  a  savage 
pleasure  to  tell  him  every  dreadful  particular 
concerning  Arabella;  and  by  the  look  of  con- 
sciousness which  came  into  his  expressive  face, 
and  by  the  way  in  which  he  avoided  my  eye,  I 
saw  that  he  knew  he  was  a  factor  in  the  case 
against  his  will.  At  last,  quite  transported  by 
my  rage  against  these  two,  I  cried  out, — 

"  And  it  is  for  the  purpose  of  securing  the 
estate  to  you  that  Arabella  Stormont  thus  swore 
away  the  life  of  Giles  Vernon;  but  God  will 
confound  her  and  Sir  Thomas  Vernon  yet ! " 

"  Truly,"  said  he,  in  a  thrilling  voice,  "  God 
will  confound  all  the  wicked.  He  will  bring 
this  horrid  scheme  to  naught  in  every  way;  for 
know  you,  if  Lady  Arabella  Stormont  were  to 
throw  herself  on  her  knees  before  me  — " 

He  stopped,  and  colored  violently;  he  had 
not  meant  to  admit  what  the  whole  world  knew, 
—  that  Arabella  Stormont  had  adored  him  for 
seven  years  past.  He  hurriedly  changed  the 
subject,  saying, — 

"  Perhaps  you  do  not  know  that  I  am  no 
longer  in  the  army." 

I  said  I  did  not. 

220 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

"  Although  I  have  recovered  the  use  of  my 
limbs,  and  look  to  be  In  health,  I  am  not  fit  for 
service;  and  I  was  retired  on  half -pay  only  a 
few  days  ago.  My  life  is  not  likely  to  be  long ; 
but  released  as  I  am,  by  God's  hand,  from  the 
profession  of  arms,  I  shall  devote  the  remnant 
of  my  life  to  the  service  of  the  Lord  God 
Almighty.  His  message  came  to  me  years  ago, 
but  I  was  deaf  to  it.  I  was  in  love  with  the 
world,  and  possessed  by  the  flesh  and  the  devil. 
I  committed  murders  under  the  name  of  war. 
I  dishonored  my  Maker  by  my  dissipations.  I 
spent  in  gambling  and  vice  the  money  wrung 
from  the  poor  that  were  bond-slaves  to  labor 
and  poverty.  I  blasphemed,  and  yet  I  was  not 
counted  evil  by  the  world." 

I  listened  and  wondered  to  myself,  should  this 
be  true,  where  stood  we  all? 

Overton's  face  had  flushed,  his  eyes  were  full 
of  rapture;  he  seemed  to  dwell  in  the  glory  of 
the  Lord. 

"  But  now  I  am  free  from  the  body  of  that 
death,  and  subject  only  to  the  yoke  of  the 
Nazarene, —  the  Jesus  who  labored  with  His 
hands  to  show  that  work  was  honorable;  the 


Tie,  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

Carpenter  who  called  about  Him  those  as  poor 
as  Himself,  and  preached  to  them  the  love  of 
God  and  one's  neighbor;  who  received  the  Mag- 
dalen as  a  sister  and  the  leper  as  a  brother." 

I  was  silent.  I  had  heard  many  sermons 
from  deans  and  dignitaries, —  all  well-fed  men, 
and  every  man  jack  of  them  after  promotion 
from  the  Whigs, —  and  these  sermons  had  left 
my  heart  as  untouched  as  that  of  the  wild 
Indian  of  North  America.  But  this  was  dif- 
ferent. After  a  while,  Overton  continued, — 

"  As  this  Jesus  called  all  manner  of  men  to 
follow  Him, —  the  greedy  tax-gatherer,  as  well 
as  Peter  the  poor  fisherman,  and  John  the  gentle 
and  studious  youth, —  so  He  called  me ;  and, 
like  the  tax-gatherer,  whose  stony  heart  was- 
melted  by  the  voice  of  Jesus,  I  say  with  tears, 
'My  God!  I  follow  Thee!'" 

We  had  now  approached  the  corner  of  the 
field,  and  involuntarily  stopped.  I  said  to  him 
blunderingly, — 

"Shall  you  take  orders?" 

"  No,"  he  replied.  "  I  do  not  aspire  to  open 
my  mouth  as  a  teacher  —  I  am  not  worthy ; 
but  a  few  of  the  humblest  people  about  here 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

—  I  have  been  in  this  place  for  some  time  — 
come  to  me  on  Sundays,  in  the  forenoon,  to 
ask  me  to  speak  to  them.  They  are  day- 
laborers,  hostlers  —  the  kind  of  people  I  once 
fancied  to  be  without  souls.  I  speak  to  them, 
not  as  a  preacher  and  teacher,  but  as  a  brother 
and  a  friend.  'It  is  now  time  for  them  to 
assemble." 

I  saw,  sure  enough,  a  number  of  poorly- 
dressed  rustics  coming  toward  the  field.  They 
came  by  twos  and  threes,  the  women  mostly 
with  children  in  arms,  or  hanging  to  their 
skirts.  When  all  had  arrived,  there  were 
about  thirty  men  and  women.  They  seated 
themselves  on  the  grass,  and  I  along  with 
them,  and,  in  some  mysterious  way,  I  felt,  for 
the  first  time  in  my  life,  that  the  plowman  was 
my  brother,  and  the  kitchen  wench  my  sister. 

When  they  were  all  seated,  Overton  took 
from  his  pocket  a  small  Bible,  and  read  the 
Sermon  on  the  Mount.  The  people  listened 
reverently.  He  gave  them  a  short  discourse, 
suited  to  their  understanding,  and  then  read 
to  them  a  simple  hymn,  which  they  sang  with 
fervor. 


TLe  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

I  listened  with  a  strange  feeling,  half  pain, 
half  pleasure,  half  satisfaction,  half  dissatisfac- 
tion. I  wished  for  Daphne's  sweet  spirit  to 
be  near  me.  It  came  to  my  mind  how  like 
was  this  meeting  of  the  poor  and  unlearned 
to  those  held  by  the  Carpenter  of  Nazareth  on 
the  shores  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee.  The  hymn 
echoed  sweetly  over  the  green  fields;  it  was  a 
part  of  that  great  antiphon  with  which  Nature 
replies  to  the  harmonies  of  the  Most  High. 
The  quiet  scene,  the  woods,  the  fields,  the  kine 
in  the  pasture  near  by,  all  seemed  one  in  this  act 
of  worship.  But  presently  my  soul  was  dis- 
tracted by  what  I  saw  on  the  highway  close  by 
us.  A  handsome  traveling  chariot,  followed  by 
a  plain  post-chaise  going  Londonward,  stopped. 
Out  of  the  chariot  stepped  Lady  Arabella 
Stormont,  and,  through  an  opening  in  the 
hedge,  she  entered  the  field.  After  a  consider- 
able interval,  Mrs.  Whitall  followed  her;  and, 
after  a  still  longer  one,  Sir  Thomas  Vernon. 

Lady  Arabella  walked  noiselessly  over  the 
grass,  and,  when  she  reached  the  edge  of  the 
group,  stopped.  Her  eyes  were  full  of  laugh- 
ing contempt  at  first,  but,  when  Overton  turned 


"  Will  you  speak  to  me  ?"     Page  225 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacb^  Arabella 

his  glance  full  upon  her,  she  suddenly  assumed 
a  look  of  seriousness,  and  folded  her  hands  as 
if  in  silent  prayer.  Behind  her,  Mrs.  Whitall's 
foolish  face  was  all  fear,  while  Sir  Thomas 
Vernon  grinned  unpleasantly  over  her  shoulder. 
Overton,  without  taking  the  slightest  notice  of 
them,  at  the  conclusion  of  the  hymn  announced 
that  he  would  make  a  prayer,  and  asked  his 
hearers  to  join  with  him  in  a  petition  that  the 
life  might  be  spared  of  a  certain  young  man, 
Giles  Vernon,  now  under  sentence  of  death  in 
York  jail.  We  all  stood  up,  then,  the  men 
removing  their  hats.  I  held  mine  before  my 
face  to  conceal  my  tears,  while  Overton  made 
a  brief  but  earnest  prayer  for  Giles,  and  I 
could  not  refrain  from  crying,  "Amen !  Amen !  " 
when  he  concluded. 

The  people  then  trooped  off,  and  we,  the 
gentlefolks,  were  left  together. 

Overton  surveyed  Lady  Arabella  and  Sir 
Thomas  with  much  contempt.  Lady  Arabella 
was  the  first  to  speak.  She  held  up  her  head 
timidly,  and  said, — 

"  Will  you  not  speak  to  me  ?  " 

"  No,"  replied  Overton  sternly.  "  Giles  Ver- 
225 


TLc  Loves  of  tte  Lady  Arabella 

non's  life  may  be  spared;  but  upon  you  is 
blood-guiltiness." 

Arabella  turned  pale,  and  replied, — 

"  I  was  summoned  as  a  witness.  I  was 
obliged  to  testify." 

Overton  said  nothing.  Then  Sir  Thomas, 
taking  snuff  with  his  usual  grace,  remarked, — 

"  I  listened  with  attention  to  one  lawbreaker 
praying  for  another  lawbreaker.  Of  course, 
you  know,  this  meeting  of  yours  is  seditious  — 
and  many  a  man  has  been  stood  in  the  pillory 
for  it." 

"  And  one  Man,"  replied  Overton,  "  Jesus 
Christ,  was  crucified  for  it." 

He  turned,  and  with  me,  took  the  path  back 
to  the  tavern.  I  heard,  as  we  went  on,  an 
altercation  behind  me,  and  involuntarily,  after 
we  had  gone  some  distance,  I  looked  back. 
Lady  Arabella  was  struggling  in  the  grasp  of 
Sir  Thomas  Vernon,  while  Mrs.  Whitall  looked 
on,  and  wrung  her  hands.  Sir  Thomas,  how- 
ever, was  no  match  for  Arabella's  young 
strength.  She  broke  away  from  him,  and,  run- 
ning after  us,  caught  up,  panting  and  breath- 
less, with  us,  as  we  entered  the  little  grove. 
226 


Tic  Loves  of  tic  Lacjy  Arabella 

And  then  I  saw  an  almost  exact  representation 
of  the  scene  when  Giles  Vernon  had  insanely 
and  with  unmanly  groveling  and  violence 
pleaded  with  Arabella  for  her  love, —  so  she 
pleaded  with  Philip  Overton.  She  held  him  by 
the  arms,  when  he  would  have  thrown  her  off. 

"  Philip !  Philip !  "  she  cried.  "  I  did  it  for 
you!  I  determined  to  make  you  rich,  great, 
even  if  you  refused  my  fortune.  Sir  Thomas 
can  not  live  long.  Surely,  you  can  not  re- 
proach me,  if  all  the  world  does.  The  stupid, 
stupid  world  thinks  I  did  it  under  the  influence 
of  Sir  Thomas  Vernon ;  but  no,  it  was  not  hate 
for  Giles  Vernon,  it  was  my  love  for  you,  Philip 
Overton,  that  made  me  appear  at  the  York 
Assizes." 

"  Remember  yourself,"  said  Overton  to  her 
sternly.  "  Others,  besides  myself,  see  your 
degradation !  " 

"  It  is  no  degradation  to  love  truly,  to  love 
as  I  do.  Speak  but  one  word  to  me,  and  I  will 
become  a  Methodist  like  yourself.  I,  too,  will 
go  among  the  poor,  and  serve  and  love  them; 
and  I  will  even  love  God  for  your  sake ! " 

The  awful  grotesqueness  of  this,  the  blas- 
227 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

phemy  of  it,  was  altogether  unknown  to  her. 
She  continued  wildly, — 

"  Does  not  my  soul  need  saving  as  much  as 
those  clods  you  have  been  praying  with?  " 

"  You  blaspheme !  "  replied  Overton,  casting 
her  off. 

And,  to  make  the  resemblance  between  her 
own  unwomanly  conduct  and  the  unmanly  con- 
duct of  Giles  Vernon  the  more  singular,  she 
recovered  herself,  as  he  had  done,  in  a  single 
moment  of  time.  She  laid  her  hand  on  Over- 
ton's  arm,  and  looked  keenly  into  his  eyes. 
Her  glance  seemed  to  enchain  him,  and  to  set 
her  free.  She  breathed  a  long  sigh,  and,  turn- 
ing, gazed  about  her,  like  a  person  awaking 
from  a  nightmare.  Then,  with  perfect  self- 
possession,  she  dropped  a  curtsey  to  us  both, 
and  said,  in  her  natural,  playful  manner, — 

"  Mr.  Overton,  I  see  I  have  been  mistaken. 
I  should  have  tried  to  cheat  the  law  by  not 
appearing  when  I  was  summoned;  or,  I  should 
have  testified  falsely.  And  for  my  indiscreet 
conduct  just  now,  let  me  tell  you,  for  seven 
years  I  have  been  under  a  spell.  It  is  now 
broken  for  ever.  Titania  once  loved  Bottom 
228 


the  weaver;  but  not  always.  I  bid  you  good 
day,  Captain  Philip  Overton,  and  you,  Mr. 
Richard  Glyn.  And  I  trust  Giles  Vernon's  life 
may  be  saved,  if  only  to  keep  you,  Captain 
Overton,  as  poor  as  you  deserve  to  be.  For 
myself,  I  shall  shortly  marry, —  perhaps,  Sir 
Thomas  Vernon, —  then,  neither  of  you  will  get 
the  estates.  Good  morning !  " 

And  she  was  gone,  flying  along  the  field, 
with  a  white  mantle  streaming  after  her,  and 
her  flight  as  rapid  as  the  swallows  in  spring. 


229 


XI 


At  twelve  o'clock  that  night  Sir  Peter  ar- 
rived at  the  tavern,  and  with  the  pardon. 

The  expectation  of  his  coming,  and  the 
greater  matter  upon  which  we  were  engaged, 
prevented  my  mind  from  dwelling  longer  upon 
the  strange  scene  I  had  witnessed  between  Over- 
ton  and  Lady  Arabella.  Overton  did  not  speak 
her  name  to  me,  and  showed  much  sympathy 
for  us.  When  Sir  Peter's  chaise  drove  up  to 
the  door  of  the  Bear  and  Churn,  another  chaise 
with  four  horses  was  waiting,  and  into  it  we 
huddled,  bidding  Overton  a  hurried  farewell; 
and  in  another  moment  we  were  off  for  York, 
the  horses  doing  their  best. 

Sir  Peter  then  told  me  the  circumstances  of 
his  visit  to  Windsor.  The  Prince,  who  was 
always  most  powerful  when  the  king  was  on 
the  verge  of  madness,  saw  his  father  and  found 
him  comparatively  rational.  The  story  being 
broached  to  him,  he  appeared  interested,  and 
even  grew  more  collected  as  his  attention  was 
230 


chained.  He  recalled  at  once  Sir  Peter  Hawk- 
shaw  and  the  capture  of  the  Indomptable  and 
Xantippe,  and  corrected  the  Prince  when  he 
spoke  of  Sir  Peter  as  Vice-Admiral  of  the 
White.  It  was  a  very  easy  matter  to  get  his 
signature  to  the  pardon,  and  the  necessary  seals 
and  formalities  took  some  little  time  but  no 
trouble,  and  when  Sir  Peter  presented  himself 
at  the  Castle  on  Sunday,  all  was  prepared  for 
him. 

We  felt  now  comparatively  safe.  There  was 
little  doubt  that  we  could  reach  York  at  least 
twenty-four  hours  in  advance  of  the  date  set 
for  the  execution ;  our  letters  would  precede 
us,  giving  positive  assurances  of  hope;  and  we 
looked  for  no  accidents,  having  a  new  and 
strong  chaise. 

After  Sir  Peter  had  told  me  his  story,  I  told 
him  mine  about  Lady  Arabella  and  Overton. 
He  was  not  much  imbued  with  the  kind  of 
religion  that  Overton  preached,  although  he 
swore  roundly  by  Church  and  State,  and  was 
always  a  great  churchman  when  he  was  slightly 
in  liquor,  which  did  not  happen  often.  He 
therefore  condemned  Overton's  sermon,  which 
231 


Tie  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

I  tried  to  repeat  to  him,  as  a  damned,  beastly 
low  sort  of  religion,  unfit  for  a  gentleman  to 
practise;  but  he  admitted  that  Overton  lacked 
neither  brains  nor  courage.  For  Lady  Ara- 
bella, though,  he  had  the  stern  disapproval  of 
an  honest  heart,  and  in  his  excitement  swore 
both  long  and  loud  because  of  the  short-sighted- 
ness of  Providence  in  permitting  such  women  to 
exist  for  the  undoing  of  his  Majesty's  officers 
of  both  services. 

We  made  good  progress  that  night  and  the 
next  day,  which  was  Monday,  and  began  to 
have  strong  hopes  of  reaching  York  Wednesday 
night.  But  on  Monday,  in  the  afternoon,  the 
weather  suddenly  changed,  a  violent  snow-storm 
set  in,  and  our  postboys  wilfully,  I  think,  drove 
us  ten  miles  out  of  the  way,  near  a  tavern 
where  they  hoped,  no  doubt,  we  would  agree 
to  stop  until  the  storm  should  be  over.  But 
Sir  Peter,  putting  one  of  his  great  horse-pistols 
to  the  postboy's  head,  forced  him  to  turn  back 
to  the  high-road.  We  lost  three  hours  by  this; 
and  when  we  got  to  our  next  posting  stage, 
our  horses,  engaged  two  days  ahead,  had  been 
taken.  We  got  others,  after  a  frantic  effort, 
232 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lacjx  Arabella 

but  at  the  end  of  that  day's  journey  we  saw  our 
margin  of  time  diminished  exactly  one-half. 

I  shall  not  attempt  to  describe  the  fierce  and 
gnawing  impatience  which  consumed  us,  nor  the 
awful  and  unspoken  dread  which  began  to  over- 
shadow us.  Sir  Peter  was  a  man  of  stout  heart, 
and  had  no  more  notion  of  giving  up  at  this 
stage  of  the  affair  than  he  dreamed  of  surren- 
dering when  he  saw  the  Indomptable  to  wind- 
ward and  the  Xantippe  to  leeward. 

The  weather,  however,  grew  worse  instead  of 
better,  and  even  four  horses  could  scarcely  drag 
us  through  the  mire  made  by  the  snow  and  rain. 
In  spite  of  all  we  could  do  our  progress  dimin- 
ished, although  at  no  time  did  it  seem  hopeless, 
until  —  O  God !  twenty  miles  from  York,  at 
midnight  on  the  Thursday,  Sir  Peter  himself 
suddenly  gave  out;  the  strain  had  proved  too 
much  for  his  brave  heart  and  sturdy  frame.  It 
came  as  the  horses  were  wallowing  along  the 
road  in  the  darkness,  and  I,  holding  my  watch 
in  my  hand,  was  glancing  at  it  every  ten 
minutes,  by  the  feeble  light  of  the  traveling 
lamp.  I  spoke  to  Sir  Peter  as  he  lay  back  in 
the  chaise  wrapped  in  his  boat-cloak,  and  got 
233 


Tne.  Loves  or  toe  Laqy  Arabella 

no  answer.  He  was  unconscious.  Without 
stopping  the  chaise,  I  got  some  brandy, 
which  I  tried  to  pour  down  his  throat,  but  could 
not.  I  grew  much  alarmed, —  it  was  not  like 
Sir  Peter  to  refuse  good  brandy,  and  as  we 
were  passing  a  farmstead,  I  stopped  the  chaise, 
knocked  the  people  up,  and  had  Sir  Peter 
carried  into  the  house.  I  met  with  kindness, 
and  I  repaid  it  with  coin  of  the  realm.  Sir 
Peter  soon  revived,  and  his  first  words  were, — 

"  Push  on,  my  lad.  Don't  wait  to  repair 
damages." 

I  found  that  his  seizure  was  really  trifling, 
and  he  assured  me  he  would  be  able  to  resume 
the  journey  by  daylight,  the  farmer  agreeing  to 
furnish  him  horses;  so,  in  half  an  hour  I  had 
again  taken  the  road. 

And  ten  miles  from  York,  the  chaise  broke 
down! 

I  had  the  horses  taken  out,  and,  mounting 
the  best  beast,  made  for  York  at  the  top  of  his 
speed,  which  was  poor, —  the  creature  was 
already  spent  with  traveling. 

It  was  just  daylight,  and  streaks  of  golden 
glory  were  lighting  up  the  pallid  dawn ;  I  urged 


the  poor  beast  onward.  Seven  miles  he  went, 
then  lie  dropped  dead,  just  as  the  sun  was 
gilding  the  spires  of  York  Cathedral.  Before 
me,  along  the  road,  jogged  an  itinerant  tinker 
on  a  rather  good-looking  horse,  the  tools  of  a 
tinker's  trade  hanging  from  a  moth-eaten 
saddle.  I  was  young  and  strong, —  he  was 
middle-aged  and  Ill-fed  and  feeble.  I  ran  up 
to  him,  holding  five  guineas  in  my  hand. 

"  Lend  me  this  horse  to  ride  to  York ! "  I 
cried. 

The  man,  astonished  at  my  abrupt  address, 
stopped,  but  gave  me  no  answer.  I  made  my 
own  answer,  though,  by  dragging  him  off  the 
beast,  dashing  the  five  guineas  on  the  ground, 
and  clattering  off,  throwing  away  the  tools  and 
kettles  as  I  galloped  along. 

Already  there  were  great  crowds  in  the 
streets,  and  as  I  made  my  way  madly  toward 
the  jail,  I  was  often  impeded.  I  shrieked,  I 
screamed  at  the  people,  and  waved  aloft  my 
precious  paper,  shouting,  "  Pardon !  Pardon !  " 
The  cry  was  taken  up,  and  swelled  in  a  great 
roar  that  came  from  a  thousand  friendly 
throats.  As  I  galloped  along  on  the  tinker's 
235 


The  Loves  or  toe  Lady  Arabella 

horse,  in  a  frenzy,  through  the  crowded  streets, 
an  awful  unspeakable  Thing  loomed  up  before 
me.  It  was  the  gibbet,  and  it  was  empty ! 

I  felt  the  hot  tears  run  down  my  checks  at 
this,  and  some  recollection  of  the  God  that 
Overton  had  preached  to  me  caused  me  to  utter 
an  inarticulate  thanksgiving!  But  if  my 
tongue  faltered,  my  heart  did  not. 

At  last  I  pushed  my  way  through  shouting 
crowds,  to  the  jail.  The  people  parted,  and  I 
saw  a  black  cart  drawn  by  a  white  horse,  and 
Giles  Vernon,  with  pinioned  hands,  sitting  in  it, 
by  the  side  of  the  hangman.  I  noticed  —  as  I 
did  all  the  trifles  of  that  dreadful  time  —  that 
the  jailer  was  ashy  pale,  and  Giles  was  fresh- 
colored.  I  flung  myself  off  my  horse,  rushed 
toward  the  cart,  holding  the  paper  above  my 
head.  Oh,  the  roaring  and  the  shouting!  I 
thrust  it  in  Giles'  face;  the  hangman,  in  a 
second,  cut  the  thongs  that  bound  the  prisoner's 
hands.  Giles  took  the  pardon  and  kissed  it, 
and  then  threw  his  arms  around  me  and  kissed 
me,  and  smiled  and  waved  his  hat  in  the  air, 
while  voices  thundered,  men  shouting  like 
demons,  and  women  screaming  and  weeping. 
236 


I  saw  Giles  Vernon  with  pinioned  hands.     Page  236 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacjy  Arabella 

And  the  next  thing  I  knew  Daphne  appeared, 
as  if  dropped  down  from  Heaven,  and,  spring- 
ing into  the  cart,  clasped  Giles;  and  Lady 
Hawkshaw,  a  little  slower,  but  yet  quick,  de- 
scended from  the  coach,  in  which  she  and 
Daphne  had  come,  and  embraced  all  of  us;  and 
then,  the  cheering  seemed  to  rend  the  skies. 

In  a  little  while,  the  mood  of  the  crowd 
changed.  They  began  to  clamor  for  the  blood 
of  Sir  Thomas  Vernon.  He  was  known  to  be 
away  from  home,  but,  as  if  by  a  preconcerted 
movement,  a  dash  was  made  for  Vernon  Court, 
which  was  but  five  miles  away.  The  military 
were  called  out,  and  the  crowd  stopped;  but  not 
without  a  collision,  and  several  persons  were 
badly  injured,  which  did  not  tend  toward  better 
feeling  for  Sir  Thomas. 

For  ourselves,  I  remained  with  Giles  until  he 
was  duly  released  by  the  officers  of  the  law, 
while  Daphne  and  Lady  Hawkshaw  set  off  to 
meet  Sir  Peter  on  the  road.  They  met  him,  five 
miles  off,  and  brought  him  back  to  York  in 
their  coach.  I  shall  never  forget  the  scene 
when  they  drove  up  to  the  inn  where  Giles  and  I 
were  already,  the  crowd,  however,  not  allowing 
237 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lacly  Arabella 

him  to  remain  indoors  at  all.  When  the  coach 
hove  to,  the  people,  in  their  delight,  picked  Sir 
Peter  up  and  carried  him  bodily  up  stairs,  to  an 
open  balcony,  and  demanded  a  speech,  followed 
by  "  Parliament !  Parliament !  Our  next  mem- 
ber !  "  and  so  on.  Sir  Peter  made  a  speecn, — 
the  most  wonderful  I  ever  heard, —  standing 
with  one  hand  on  Giles'  shoulder,  and  the  other 
on  mine,  with  Lady  Hawkshaw  and  Daphne  in 
the  background. 

He  began  by  roundly  damning  Sir  Thomas 
Vernon,  "  and  a  lady  who  shall  be  nameless." 
Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  some  vagaries,  the 
speech  was  full  of  sound  sense,  and  he  promised 
the  people,  if  they  gave  him  their  suffrages  for 
parliament,  he  would  do  all  in  his  power  for  the 
abolition  of  the  barbarous  law  from  which  Giles 
Vernon  had  suffered  so  cruelly.  He  averred 
that  it  was  impossible  for  a  seaman,  alone  and 
unaided,  to  take  care  of  himself  on  dry  land, 
Jack  ashore  being  a  helpless  creature  at  best, 
and  but  for  Lady  Hawkshaw  he  would  probably 
have  been  hanged  himself,  long  ago.  This 
allusion  to  Lady  Hawkshaw,  who  fairly  divided 
the  honors  with  Giles,  brought  forth  yells  of 
238 


delight  from  the  crowd.  Her  ladyship  ap- 
peared and  bowed  magnificently,  and  it  was  a 
regular  triumph  for  us  all,  from  beginning  to 
end. 

Next  day,  with  Giles,  we  all  started  for  Lon- 
don, the  happiest  coach-load  of  people  in  the 
three  kingdoms. 

Two  days  after  our  arrival,  we  read  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  marriage,  at  St.  George's, 
Hanover  Square,  of  Sir  Thomas  Vernon  to  Lady 
Arabella  Stormont. 

'Sir  Peter  was  delighted  at  this  match,  and  so 
was  Lady  Hawkshaw,  and  for  once  they  were 
agreed.  The  position  of  the  newly-married 
couple  in  London  was  anything  but  a  pleasant 
one;  for  Giles  became  the  object  of  public  sym- 
pathy, and  of  popular  and  royal  approval.  The 
Prince  of  Wales  sent  for  him,  and  our  visit  to 
Windsor,  whither  we  all  went  to  thank  the 
king,  was  made  a  triumph  for  us.  Sir  Thomas 
and  Lady  Vernon  were  forbidden  the  court  and 
Carlton  House,  and  were  frequently  hissed  in 
public.  I  saw  them  myself  at  Drury  Lane, 
when  they  were  hissed.  Sir  Thomas  merely 
grinned,  while  Lady  Arabella  surveyed  the 
239 


TLc  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

scowling  faces  before  her  with  a  slow  sweet 
smile,  and  calmly  played  with  the  diamonds  in 
her  stomacher. 

We  had  a  whole  year  of  happiness.  The 
dreadful  experience  Giles  had  been  through 
began  to  tell  on  him,  and  he  was  permitted  to 
remain  quietly  a  year  on  shore.  And  I,  because 
of  Giles,  was  given  a  year  with  my  bride  before 
I  had  to  leave  her.  And  what  a  year  of  blessed- 
ness it  was  to  all!  We  all  lived  with  Sir  Peter 
and  Lady  Hawkshaw  in  Berkeley  Square,  and 
those  two  honest  souls  took  delight  in  us.  Lady 
Hawkshaw  became  a  heroine,  and  the  worthy 
woman  enjoyed  it  thoroughly.  Overton  came 
sometimes  to  see  us.  A  persecution  had  been 
set  on  foot  against  him;  and  he  was  several 
times  arrested  and  sentenced  for  unlawful  as- 
semblage. But  persecution  was  not  the  way  to 
prevail  with  Overton. 

It  was  very  well  understood  who  instigated 
these  continued  prosecutions,  and  that  did  not 
help  to  increase  the  popularity  of  Sir  Thomas 
and  his  beautiful  wife.  At  last,  a  year  to  the 
month  after  the  trial  at  York,  the  last  indignity 
was  offered  to  Overton.  He  was  sentenced  to 
240 


TLc  Loves  or  tie  Lacy  Arabella 

be  whipped  at  the  cart's-tail,  and  set  in  the  pil- 
lory. 

There  was  a  general  rally  of  his  friends ;  and 
on  the  winter  morning  when  this  barbarous  sen- 
tence was  to  be  carried  out,  a  number,  including 
many  persons  of  note,  were  assembled  at  the 
prison,  when  Sir  Peter  and  I  joined  them. 

We  soon  heard  that  the  government  would 
not  permit  the  first  part  of  the  sentence  to  be 
carried  out;  but  when  Overton  emerged  from 
the  prison,  he  was  unaware  of  this,  and  prepared 
for  the  worst.  The  holy  calmness  of  his  coun- 
tenance and  air  brought  even  Sir  Peter  to  admit 
that  "the  pious  dog  is  a  man,  after  all." 
When  informed  that  he  would  not  be  whipped, 
Overton  only  remarked, — 

"  My  Master  was  scourged.  Why  should  I 
rebel?" 

Arrived  at  the  place  of  punishment,  we  found 
a  great  crowd  assembled,  of  all  sorts  of  per- 
sons, among  them  some  of  the  highest  quality. 
Overton  saluted  them,  and  with  the  utmost 
dignity  submitted  to  the  cruel  and  hateful  pun- 
ishment. He  had,  however,  the  undisguised 
sympathy  of  the  officers  of  the  law,  as  well  as 
241 


Toe  Loves  of  tie  Lacy  Arabella 

of  the  crowd,  and  was  treated  with  the  utmost 
tenderness. 

He  was  to  spend  three  hours  pilloried,  and 
it  was  made  the  greatest  triumph  of  his  life. 

It  is  possible  for  a  good  man  undergoing 
unjust  punishment  to  be  dignified,  even  in  the 
pillory;  and  so  it  was  with  Overton.  His  sin- 
gular beauty,  the  mildness  of  his  countenance, 
the  uncomplaining  fortitude  with  which  he 
submitted  to  an  odious  and  miserable  position, 
the  remembrance  of  his  past  military  services, 
showed  him  to  be  every  inch  a  man.  Many  of 
his  friends  came  in  their  coaches,  and,  descend- 
ing and  going  up  to  Overton,  saluted  him 
respectfully  and  expressed  their  sympathy,  to 
which  Overton  gently  returned  thanks.  At  last 
a  very  splendid  coach  appeared.  It  was  mag- 
nificently horsed  with  four  thoroughbreds,  and 
had  outriders,  besides  two  huge  footmen  with 
nosegays.  It  drew  up  in  front  of  the  pillory, 
and  within  it  sat  Lady  Vernon,  superbly 
dressed;  and  in  her  arms  she  held  a  very  young 
infant  in  a  great  robe  of  lace  and  satin.  Two 
nurses  sat  on  the  front  seat;  and  Sir  Thomas' 
saturnine  countenance  glared  behind  Lady  Ver- 
242 


The  Loves  of  tie  Lady  Arabella 

non's  beautiful,  triumphant  face.  The  coach 
stopped;  and  Lady  Vernon,  holding  the  child 
up  in  her  arms,  directly  in  front  of  Overton's 
eyes,  gave  him  a  smile  and  a  meaning  look,  as 
much  as  to  say, — 

"  Poor  wretch !  your  inheritance  is  gone !  " 
The  crowd,  which  was  never  in  a  good  humor 
with  the  Vernons,  began  to  hiss  vigorously. 
This  they  appeared  not  to  mind;  but  when 
hisses  were  followed  by  a  shower  of  stones  and 
sticks,  the  equipage  rolled  off  at  the  top  of  its 
speed. 

At  twelve  o'clock  Overton  was  released,  and 
at  once  he  was  exhorting  the  people  to  fear  God 
and  live  truly  to  Him.  He  was  not  interrupted 
by  the  constables  who  were  present,  and  was 
listened  to  with  solemn  attention.  He  has 
preached  ever  since,  and  has  never  again  been 
molested.  And  when  a  dear  little  girl  came  to 
my  Daphne, —  I  was  then  at  sea,  fighting  the 
French, —  Overton  was  at  the  christening,  and 
made  a  prayer  over  her  infant  head,  which  my 
Daphne  believes  will  keep  that  dear  child  good 
and  holy  all  her  life. 

Giles  Vernon,  now  Captain  Vernon,  in  com- 
243 


Tie  Loves  of  tie  Lac^  Arabella 

mand  of  his  Majesty's  ship  Acasta,  forty-four, 
is  counted  the  smartest  of  the  young  captains 
in  the  British  service.  The  women  still  love 
him;  but  Giles  has  grown  a  little  shy  of  going 
too  far  with  them,  and  swears  he  will  die  a 
bachelor.  However,  there  appears  to  be  an 
affair  forward  between  my  little  Daphne,  who  is 
now  four  years  and  six  months  old,  and  Captain 
Vernon,  and  I  think  something  will  come  of  it 
when  she  is  of  a  marriageable  age  —  and  so 
thinks  her  mother  too. 


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